All Is Fair in Pucci and Prada
by DerenaTreeHill
Summary: My first ff! Loosely based on the books and show. Senior year begins at Constance and St Jude's, but following Dan and Serena's breakup after the Summer White Party, will Queen S, still be up to fulfilling her role in her final year at Constance? Serena's been laying low over the summer, and has lost her way, but will a gorgeous new boy in town be able to change all of that?...
1. Lonely Serena

Up in the van der Woodsen's fifth avenue penthouse, Serena van der Woodsen lay alone on her bed, idly flicking through this month's Vogue magazine, waiting for her best friend, Blair Waldorf, to text her back about their girls night in.

Nobody except Blair had seen or heard from Serena for the best part of the last month; ever since she and her then boyfriend, Dan Humphrey had broken up four weeks ago after the summer White Party in the Hamptons, Serena had locked herself away in her room, feeling sorry for herself and secretly praying that Dan would realise the error of his ways and come running back to her, just like any other sane boy who had a shot with Serena van der Woodsen would.

Dan wasn't exactly part of the Upper East Side, even though he attended St Jude's school for boys and dated the 'it girl', Serena van der Woodsen. Dan was a Humphrey; he lived in a loft in Brooklyn with his father, Rufus, and little sister, Jenny. Although Rufus wasn't a huge fan of the Upper East Side lifestyle, he wanted his children to have the best education the money he didn't have could buy, and that was St Jude's and Constance Billard. Rufus trusted that his children knew better than to lose themselves in the Manhattan lifestyle - he was just lucky Dan and Jenny weren't very popular.

Serena was the princess and Dan was the pauper; what business did _he_ have dumping _her_?

…maybe it's that attitude that got you dumped in the first place, S.

Blair and Serena had been best friends since before they were born. Their mothers, Eleanor and Lily had known each other long before either got married and had children – not because they were great friends, but because they were part of Manhattan's elite. They belonged to two of the most respected families in New York and they had to keep up appearances. Families like the Waldorf's, van der Woodsen's, Basses and Archibald's had to stick together, whether they liked it or not- and most of the time they didn't.

Serena had finished reading her magazine for the hundredth time, growing increasingly more impatient, checking her BlackBerry every seven seconds waiting for Blair's reply.

"Where the fuck is she! Why isn't she replying? Blair always has her phone on her!" Serena muttered to herself.

Since her break-up with Dan, Serena had become totally dependent on Blair, which was completely out of character for Serena – Blair was usually the needy one. Serena had always been more of a free spirit. She did what she wanted, when she wanted and never answered to anyone. The truth was, Blair had grown tired of Serena's attention-seeking and couldn't deal with it anymore. They were more like sisters than friends so it was okay to treat each other any sort of way because at the end of the day, they would always be Blair and Serena… right?

Plus, there's only room for one attention-seeking bitch on the Upper East Side, and that was Blair Waldorf.

Serena's BlackBerry vibrated, startling her as she had accidently dozed off with the phone right by her face. "finally," she sighed, opening the message, expecting it to be Blair telling her she was on her way with 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' and takeout from Atelier. Serena blinked as she read the message, checking that she read it right, "Hey, S – sorry but I can't make it 2nite. Eleanor's having one of her classic meltdowns and the penthouse is pretty much on lockdown so I can't leave. Tlk 2mo – B"

Serena huffed, pissed off that her 'best friend' had just blatantly blown her off. As if an Eleanor Waldorf meltdown ever stopped Blair from doing whatever she pleased. If anything, it was a perfect excuse to leave the house. Blair was lying to her- she knew it, and she was going to find out why. Meanwhile, she'd find something else to occupy herself with; her brother, Erik was always reliable. Serena tossed her phone onto her bed as she reluctantly got up and shuffled toward her younger brother's room.

"Erik? Are you decent?" she asked as she knocked on her brother's door, not wanting to walk in on anything a sister should never see.

"uhh… yeah. What do you want?" he snapped back.

Serena faltered, surprised by his response. Her brother really did pick his moments to become a typical teenager. "uh…I…it doesn't matter."

Eric didn't reply and Serena took that as her cue to return back to her room feeling worse than when she left it. She was already feeling fragile, and not being able to count on her brother when she really needed him didn't exactly do wonders for her. She got back in bed, staring up at her ceiling in her dim room, wondering how she got here. She wasn't supposed to be heartbroken; she wasn't supposed to be let down; she wasn't supposed to be lonely. She's Serena van der Woodsen.

She curled up in a ball under her duvet, looking through pictures of herself and Dan on her phone, wishing things could just go back to the way they used to be. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she scrolled the through photos and she ended the night the way she had done for the past twenty nine nights- in bed, alone, eyes tired from crying, wishing she didn't miss Dan as much as she did. Tomorrow was the first day back at school, and that meant the first time she'd see Dan since the White Party.

S was known for her bags, but it was usually the Herme ́s or Chanel type – not the puffy ones under her eyes. Oh well, I'm sure our resident 'it girl' will find a way to make it work.


	2. Dair to Dair

"We have to stop doing this. Serena will find out eventually. I had to lie to her again tonight. I can't do this." Blair told Dan as he pulled her towards his bedroom, stumbling over each other as he led her, walking backwards so he could steal a few kisses on the way.

"Come on, Blair, it's fine. Serena and I aren't together anymore. It's not like I'm cheating," he replied nonchalantly as he continued what he was doing.

"No. Dan, stop!" She stopped him and gave him a stern look, "seriously. We can't do this. You may not be with Serena anymore but I'm still her best friend. She'd never forgive me if she found out."

Dan rolled his eyes and sighed a long reflective sigh. "Yeah, I guess you're right…" he slumped on the edge of the sofa in the loft, looking down at the floor, making sure that Blair heard that he thought she was right- Blair was the type of girl that needed to be told that she was right and perfect and gorgeous, even though she quite clearly knew it herself. He stared at his feet a little longer before looking up at her coyly, "but maybe just this one last time?"

And with that, Blair needed no more convincing. She grabbed him from the sofa and dragged him into his bedroom.

What happens in Brooklyn stays in Brooklyn. But what about that best friend of yours, B?


	3. The Morning After The Night Before

Serena groaned awake at 8:25 to the sound of her mother shouting from the lounge, "Serena! It's almost half past eight, I hope you're ready, dear. It's your first day back."

Serena wiped the sleep from her eyes and sat up, only to flop back into her pillows, wishing she didn't have to go into school today. "Yes, mother," she grumbled and rolled out of bed, still half asleep. She absently got changed out of her pyjamas and pulled on her too-short green Constance plaid school skirt, not bothering with tights. Serena was the only girl at Constance who dared expose her bare legs; there was not one bit of cellulite on her and she made the most of it. She threw on a white button-down shirt – barely doing up half the buttons before topping off the look with a loosely-tied Constance tie, a red leather Rock and Republic jacket and her favourite brown boots.

"Serena! You're going to be late! The car's already downstairs, waiting!" Lily van der Woodsen called out from outside her daughter's room.

A few seconds later, Serena emerged from her room with her hair in a messy bun and her face completely make-up free. She walked straight past her mother without even looking at her. Serena wasn't in the mood. She went to leave the penthouse via the breakfast table so she could pick up a croissant for the journey to school.

Lily followed her to the table, "oh, Serena. I thought you said you were ready! You're going to be late!"

"I_ am_ ready. I won't be late. It's barely thirty-five past. Leave me alone." Serena wasn't about to deal with this shit on a Monday morning - especially not this Monday morning.

"You can't be serious. Serena, you look like you've been hit by a bus! You haven't even showered! What about your make-up?" Lily was going to carry on commenting on all the things that were wrong about Serena's appearance today but Serena had already left before she could finish.


	4. Late Registration

Blair strolled through the extravagant Constance Billard school doors, followed by her loyal minions, Kati Farkass and Isabel Coates. Blair was primped to perfection, as usual- not a single hair out of place. Blair Waldorf was the epitome of perfection; from her grades to her appearance, Blair made sure that nobody was better than her, and she would go to any lengths to ensure that. This was one of the many reasons she and Serena fought so often. Although she loved Serena, she couldn't help but be threatened by her. Serena was the girl every boy wanted to be with and every girl wanted to be. She was perfect in a much more effortless way than Blair was, and this didn't go unnoticed by… the entire world?

The Constance Billard senior class filtered into the grand assembly hall, ready to start the deathly boring Monday morning hymnal reading with the snotty Principal Queller. It seemed as though all the girls were there, prompt for the eight forty-five start- all but one.

Queller began the assembly anyway, "Good morning, young ladies. I hope you've all had a pleasant break, but it's time to get back to business starting from today. This term is a very important one for you all- let's make sure everyone gets into the college of their choice."

Queller droned on but the girls had learned to tune her out. Everyone was muttering amongst themselves about their scandalous breaks, their new tans, new boys and of course, their new wardrobes. One thing that hadn't gone unremarked was the obvious absence of Serena van der Woodsen.

"Where is she?" Laura Salmon whispered to Rain Hoffstetter in the back row.

"I heard she got knocked up by some guy she met on a yacht in Cannes this summer. Maybe she's off having the baby somewhere where nobody will find out." Hazel Williams blabbed to no one in particular. Gossip travelled fast on the Upper East Side and if you were popular, you were talked about. Just about every rumour imaginable had been spread about Serena so Hazel's claims weren't exactly rocking the assembly hall.

Blair sat there, surrounded by girls chattering about Serena. She was quickly reaching boiling point but she tried to hardest to maintain that trademark Waldorf composure. She took deep breaths and straightened out the pleats on her skirt, wishing they'd shut up.

Blair wasn't mad because people were bitching about her friend- she was mad because Serena was once again the centre of attention. She naively thought that because Serena wasn't in school today, maybe people would swoon over her for once, instead of having to spend another day in Serena's shadow.

Oh how wrong she was.

"Oh. My. God." Rain Hoffstetter gawked at the entrance of the hall, triggering similar reactions from the rest of her class.

Everyone in the hall, save for Blair and Headmistress Queller gasped as Serena casually walked through the doors to the assembly as if she were late for Sunday brunch.

Tilly Roberts stared at Serena with her mouth wide open, "what _is_ she wearing?"

Others followed suit, "How does she have the balls to walk into Queller's assembly ten minutes late?"

"What the hell is up with her face? She's not wearing any make up!"

"That jacket is _so_ three seasons ago."

"When was the last time she showered? Her hair looks disgusting." Melanie Parrot offered.

During all the commotion, Blair remained facing forward, pretending she couldn't hear the two-hundred-and-something girls obsessing over her 'best friend'.

What was that about S being effortlessly perfect, B?

Headmistress Queller interjected after a little while, "settle down, girls, settle down… Miss van der Woodsen, how nice of you to join us. Take a seat." She was clearly unimpressed but equally unfazed by Serena's tardiness.

Serena walked to the front to take a seat, finally piping up, "Sorry, Headmistress Queller, I had a family emergency. It won't happen again. Sorry to have interrupted." She offered an apologetic smile and straightened out her skirt before she sat down.

"Ugh, what a brown-nose." Blair mumbled to herself, knowing everyone was too preoccupied with Serena to hear her.

Headmistress Queller returned an understanding smile and nod to Serena before continuing on with the assembly. No matter what Serena looked like, she always had that effect on people. She could have killed Queller's beloved cat right in front of her, pulled out that charming smile and Queller would have been under her spell along with everyone else.

Uh oh, B, looks like it's going to be another day in that five-foot-eleven shadow of your BFF. Don't worry, B, your time will come.


	5. BFF's?

The bell rang, signalling the end of the assembly and the five minute break before first period. Blair left the hall with Kati, Isabel, Laura and Rain following close behind her. She made it very clear that anyone who mentioned Serena's name would be on her shitlist. She wasn't exactly sure why she was so mad at Serena, but she knew she was. This wasn't an unusual feeling for Blair; she and Serena fought all the time for the most trivial things, but one thing Blair couldn't stand was when Serena stole the spotlight…which was roughly ninety-nine point-nine-seven per cent of the time.

"Oh, great," Blair caught Serena's gaze from across the quad and immediately looked away, pretending she didn't see her. She grabbed hold of the closest thing to her- Rain's headscarf- and started feigning interest in the fabric and detail.

Rain's face lit up; thrilled that Blair was admiring what she was wearing for once. "Do you like it? It's vintage."

Blair shuddered a little at the word 'vintage' and she tried to hold the scarf a little looser so not to catch any diseases. 'Has that bitch stopped staring at me yet or what?' she thought to herself, wanting more than anything to let go of the hideous scarf.

"hmm? Yeah, it's pretty." Blair lied, disinterested.

A few moments later, Serena approached the group of girls. She was smiling and friendly, making small-talk with them all but she really just wanted to get to Blair who was at the back of the huddle of girls, as far away from Serena as possible. She wanted to find out what her problem was this time and why she flaked on her last night.

The bell sounded again for the start of first period; Blair had AP English and Serena had French on the other side of the building but it's not like she cared much about being late. Blair, however, was quite the opposite. She left the group of girls and headed for class but Serena caught her arm just before she could leave the quad.

"Wait, B. What's going on? You haven't said anything to me all morning."

"Well that's because you came in late to assembly. I didn't get the chance. Look, I have to go. I'm going to be late for English." Blair quickly responded.

"B…Please. What is it? Is it something I did? What happened last night?" Serena looked hurt.

"No. It's never something you've done. You're Serena. You never do anything wrong," Blair quickly stopped herself from going down that route. She needed to find a reason as for why she was mad at Serena otherwise she'd have no option other than to kiss and make up with her. It was here that she realised she wasn't actually mad her this time- she was just so ashamed of what she was doing with Dan behind Serena's back that she couldn't bear to face her. "Look, S. I really have to go. Some of us are actually taking AP's you know? I can't just turn up late and get away with it like you."

Serena took a step back, shocked by her behaviour. This was mean, even for Blair. "Jeez, Blair. You don't need to be such a bitch about it. Who took the jam out of_ your_ donut this morning?"

Blair gave Serena an unimpressed look. "Funny. Now if you'll excuse me." She brushed past Serena, trying to make her way to class, but before she turned the corner, she glanced over her shoulder with a sinister smirk, "oh and by the way, S, you look really nice." She said sarcastically before disappearing off to class.

Serena stood there alone in the quad, stunned by how Blair was acting towards her. She couldn't handle class right now so she decided to skip first period and head to Central Park for a smoke. Serena wasn't exactly class stoner but she certainly had a bad-girl side that would surface every now and again. She'd tried to reform herself when she got back from boarding school last year and she kept up the act during her relationship with Dan, but now that was over, what was the point?

That's the spirit, S!


	6. S Stands For Stoned

Chapter 6 – S Stands For Stoned

Serena sat down on a rock by the water in Central park, lighting up a joint that she rolled with the supplies she bought from the popular dealer at the park's entrance.

She looked out across the water as she took a long drag on the joint, inhaling the smoke and taking in the scenery she'd taken for granted these past seventeen years. Serena was a mess. She felt herself going down that road she'd worked so hard to get off this past year, but she was past caring. The weed numbed her, and that's exactly what she needed right now.

When Serena was upset, she turned wild and reckless- something the boys loved and the girls didn't understand but sort of admired her for. But Serena didn't do anything for anyone else. She did things just because- another reason why she and Blair differed.

About twenty-five minutes later, Serena was high as a kite and was smiling stupidly at everything around her. The bell had just rung for the end of first period and she knew one of her closest friends, Nate Archibald had study hall in second period so she decided to whip out her BlackBerry and dial his number to see if he wanted to bunk study hall and come and hang out with her in the park.

Unlike Serena, Nate was class stoner. She knew it was a pretty safe bet that he wouldn't turn down the opportunity to get high with an old friend. Plus, he could never say no to Serena…

Two years ago at the Shepherd wedding, Nate and Serena lost their virginity to each other on a bar stool at the reception- classy. It was after this steamy rendezvous that Serena upped and left for boarding school in Connecticut. Nate was Blair's boyfriend at the time but he'd always had a thing for Serena- who didn't? Serena had a tough time when she came back to Constance for her junior year- especially with Blair- but she managed to reform herself and began dating Dan.

Have we come full-circle, S?

Nate answered after two rings, "Hey, Serena! It's been a while. What's up?"

Serena smiled at the sound of his voice and then replied, "Yeah it has. I was wondering if you wanted to meet me in Central Park. You have study hall, right? I miss you." She added cutely.

Nate was with his friends, Anthony Avuldson, Jeremy Scott-Tompkinson and Charlie Dern, who were all sniggering, trying to embarrass him while he was on the phone to Serena. "Hey, knock it off!" he elbowed Anthony and gave the other two a serious look before replying to Serena, "hey, sorry. Not you. The guys are just being jackasses. Uhhm…" He paused, pretending that he actually had to think about whether or not he could meet Serena, "sure, why not. It's only study hall. I'll meet you at in ten by the funny looking tree by the water."

Serena's face lit up as she smiled giddily. "Great! I'm already there. See you in ten!"

Nate smirked to himself; he could tell Serena was stoned because she never talked like that. She'd usually act a lot cooler and less keen. But this was why he loved Serena; she was always full of surprises.


	7. Chuck Basstard

Chapter 7 – Chuck Basstard

Dan Humphrey sat in the back of his AP English class at St Jude's, bored as hell and daydreaming about Blair.

Dan was a talented writer and already had a story published in the New Yorker, which happened to be about his previous love, Serena…

Serena who?

He rarely listened during English class because he believed his teacher, Miss Roberts, had no idea what she was talking about and Dan got straight A's anyway, so he spent his time doodling and writing in his book. It's not like he had any friends and he was unfortunately seated at the desk next to Chuck Bass so he thought it best to just keep his head down and shut up.

Miss Roberts was babbling on about the meaning in one of Keats' poems, which Dan could recite by heart, so he decided his time would be better spent texting Blair. He snuck his phone out of his pocket and began typing under the desk.

"Hey. Can't stop thinking about u…what r u doing after skl 2day?" Dan quickly sent to Blair before realising Miss Roberts was staring right at him, obviously having just seen him on his phone. Dan tried to look anywhere but at her piercing eyes.

Miss Roberts continued to stare him down before finally speaking up. "Ahem, Mr Humphrey… is that something you'd like to share with the rest of the class perhaps?"

Dan swallowed and glanced around awkwardly for support from his classmates, even though he knew there was no way out. "Erm…"

"I'll share it with the class!" Chuck ever-so-helpfully offered as he leaned over and snatched Dan's phone right from his hands.

Dan froze like a deer in headlights.

Chuck began to read, "Hey. Can't stop thinking about you." He paused, allowing the entire class to snigger and mock, including Miss Roberts who failed to conceal a little smirk.

"Hey! Give it back!" Dan lunged for Chuck, desperately hoping he hadn't already seen who the message was sent to.

Chuck pushed him back as he continued to giggle like a little school girl as he read the rest. "What are you doing after school today?" The rest of the class were still laughing hysterically. One boy shouted out, "Who's it to?"

Dan was sure he just pee'd in his pants a little. Nobody could know he and Blair were seeing each other. For one, Blair would kill him; a Waldorf couldn't be with a Humphrey. And Serena would never forgive either of them.

Chuck went to read out the name of the recipient but stopped himself when he saw who it was. This was too good to just waste on an AP English class. This was manipulation-worthy. Chuck was probably the most manipulative bitch on the Upper East Side, easily worse than any of the girls. He paused before responding to the boy, "Nobody I've ever heard of." As if to say anyone he didn't know was irrelevant and not even worth mentioning.

Dan was grateful but he also knew he had it coming. He snatched his phone back from Chuck, stuffed his books into his bag and hurried out of the class, leaving Miss Roberts shouting after him down the corridor. "Dan Humphrey! Expect a letter home to your parents about this!"

That was the least of his worries.


	8. Chuck Knows

The bell rang for the end of second period at Constance Billard and Blair lead her minions to their usual break and lunchtime spot on the steps of the Met before her phone rang. She rummaged through her bag and retrieved it. Seeing "Dan" on the caller ID, she got up from the group of girls, instructing them to stay put as she walked off to somewhere quieter where she could speak with him.

"Why are you ringing me during school? Are you crazy? Please tell me you're not near anyone. I'll kill you."

Dan was alone during break- as usual. He was on the steps outside St Jude's, free from any of his classmates. "Yeah, I'm alone… but it's much worse; Chuck knows."

Blair wanted to be sick. She hoped he was talking about something else. "What do you mean? Chuck knows _what_?"

He replied as plainly as possible, not wanting to go into detail. "About us."

Blair practically screamed down the phone. "What? How the hell does he know? Who have you told?"

"Nobody! He took my phone in class and read out my text to you."

Blair really did think she was going to be sick this time. "You idiot! The whole class knows?"

Dan rubbed at his eyes, trying to calm down. "No, he didn't read out who I sent it to. But he knows."

"Oh, well that makes it all okay then!" she said sarcastically.

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I just thought I should tell you." He started to panic a little inside. He knew that this would eventually come out if Chuck had anything to do with it.

"I can't talk right now. I have to go. You should probably not contact me for a while." Blair hung up and composed herself before returning to her friends on the steps, pretending nothing happened, the way she always did.


	9. Serena's Spell

Serena sat by the water, waiting for Nate as she picked the petals off a small flower.

Nate had spotted her and was walking in her direction. "Serena! Hey."

She heard the familiar voice and turned around. She sprung up and ran towards him, throwing her arms around him. "Natie!"

Nate chuckled and returned the hug. "Hey. What's the occasion?"

Serena pulled him over to the rock and sat on his lap without letting him protest- as if he was going to.

"I thought I may as well, seeing as Blair's being a major bitch and I don't really want to be anywhere near school and have to see Dan. Plus I've been a good girl recently so I thought I deserved to let my hair down for once."

Nate laughed a little and shook his head. "What are we gonna do with you, eh? So, you wanna share the love or what?"

She ruffled his light brown hair passed him a pre-rolled joint with a lighter, sticking one in her own mouth too. "Smoke up, Archibald!"

"Thanks." He laughed and did as he was told. "So, are you okay? I haven't really spoken to you since what went down with Dan this summer." He'd noticed she wasn't quite looking herself today but didn't want to put it so bluntly.

Serena exhaled slowly, reflecting in her stoned state. "Not really. I really miss Dan and for some reason, Blair's completed turned on me. She flaked last night and was so mean at school this morning. I don't get what her deal is. But I can always count on you, Natie." She smiled sadly and rested her head on his toned shoulder.

He put his arm around her and spoke softly. "Of course you can… Always."

It took a little while for Nate to feel the effects of the weed as he was perpetually baked, but he began feeling a little sleepy and the smell of her own personal sandalwood and patchouli perfume enticed him towards her skin; he held her closer and lay his head just above her chest. "I'm tired." He said through a yawn, shutting his eyes.

Serena giggled and played with his hair. "Oh come on. Don't be a bore. I'm not done with you yet; let's do something fun!"

Nate's face lit up. He looked up at her, excited and completely misinterpreting her proposal. When Nate was stoned, he became uncontrollably horny and it didn't help that Serena was literally in his lap. "What do you want to do?" He asked, even though he thought he already knew the answer.

She got up off his lap, and took his hands. "I don't know. But something fun! Something crazy. Are you in or out?" She gave him a cheeky Serena smile, knowing he couldn't resist her; she knew she could make Nate do anything. She wasn't sure what it would be yet, but she knew it would probably be embarrassing and something nobody would ever do whilst sober.

Nate was a little disappointed that it wouldn't involve what he was hoping, but he was excited nonetheless; he and Serena always had fun together. "Sure! I'm in! What's it gonna be, Miss van der Woodsen?" He grinned his adorable stoner grin, and with that, he was under her spell.


	10. Drag Queens of the UES

Blair sat in AP French, worrying about her relationship with Dan being exposed, fiddling with her Lorraine Schwartz bracelets and paying little attention to the lesson. Blair was practically fluent in French anyway so she used these lessons to deal with her life crises and how to take down her latest enemies.

Just as Monsieur Larmont had asked Rain to use the conjugations they learnt last lesson in a sentence, in storm Serena and Nate… In drag?

Serena had somehow convinced Nate to switch uniforms with her, so he was in her miniskirt, shirt and jacket and she was in his pants, shirt and tie. Serena had ever-so-kindly allowed him to wear his own shoes, only because Nate was three sizes larger than she was, even though Serena was a size ten.

They stumbled into the class, both still high as kites, trying to muffle their giggles.

Monsieur Larmont's face turned bright red, furious that anyone dared disrupt his class. "Miss van der Woodsen! What is ze meaning of zis?" he bellowed.

Serena tried not to laugh as she cleared her throat and attempted the manliest voice she could do. "Excusez-moi, monsieur. Mon nom est Nate Archibald." The entire class erupted in laughter, some even filming it on their camera phones. Blair, on the other hand, was less than amused. Once again, Serena steals the show. And what the fuck did Nate think he was doing?

Nate stood there giggling as if in character. He stuck out his chest and flicked his hair back as he batted his eyelashes at Monsieur Larmont in an exaggerated imitation of Serena; he put on a squeaky voice and piped up, "Sorry, Sir. Please excuse my friend, Nate, for he knows not what he does."

Serena's lips quivered as she tried to keep a straight face during Nate's ridiculous monologue, which concluded with a random thirty second blabbering, completely in French. When Nate was overly high or drunk, he liked to think he was fluent in just about every language going, but all he could ever really manage was something about horses and their beautiful brown eyes, small fish and how tasty they were and, of course, he'd go off about a threesome and how he was madly in love with you.

Blair sat there trying to blow Serena up with the sheer intensity and fury in her eyes; she was the only person in the class who wasn't practically on the floor laughing. If she wasn't frozen stiff with rage, she could kill them both. How dare they?

Wait, B, aren't you sleeping with your best friend's ex?

Monsieur Larmont looked like steam was about to come out of his ears- mostly for Nate's slaughter of the language he so passionately teaches. "Bose of you, to 'edmistress Queller's office! Immediately!" And with a defiant thump on the table with his fist, Nate and Serena scurried out of the class, leaving the hysteria behind as they decided to skip going to see Queller, and instead, go and cause some more trouble.


	11. Is That My Sweet Serena?

It was lunch-time at St Jude's, and that was Dan's cue to escort himself out to the front of the school for his much-needed smoke. He pulled a Camel out of the packet and quickly put it in his mouth while he fumbled for his lighter. His hands were shaking – he couldn't stop thinking about what would happen when Chuck finally told everyone about him and Blair.

Just as he lit up, he heard a familiar giggle a little way off to his right. Curious, he looked and saw Serena, arm in arm with Nate, stumbling up the sidewalk; at some point, they had switched clothes again but hadn't gotten as far as doing up many buttons or zips. Serena looked dishevelled and like she'd just escaped from a brothel; her shirt was barely buttoned up to her navel, her hair was down, her tie was undone and she'd rolled her skirt up from the waistband so it looked more like a fanny-pack than a skirt. Nate's shirt was all the way undone with his tie around his head. He'd lost a shoe somewhere along the way and on his torso, in black indelible ink, was written, "Property of Serena van der Woodsen." He did, although, manage to keep his pants on, which was a first for Nate.

Dan squinted and then blinked several times, making sure he wasn't seeing things. Was that his sweet, innocent Serena? What had she become?

I'm not sure you're one to talk, D. Since as of a month ago, you chose to give up the right to call her _your_ Serena when you started sleeping with her best friend…

Dan cut his eyes back and forth, hurriedly sucking every last bit out of his cigarette so he could quickly escape.

Serena spotted Dan and froze, gripping Nate's arm. She whispered loudly in his ear, "Natie! It's Dan! Quick, make me look good."

At this point, Serena seemed to have forgotten her plan to avoid Dan today- instead, she was obsessing over how best to impress him- obviously forgetting that she was pretty much naked. Just as she opened her mouth to call his name and embarrass herself further, Dan slipped back into the St Jude's main entrance, out of sight.

Serena sighed sadly and looked down at herself, realising what a state she was; it was as if she'd just suddenly come down from her high and had an epiphany. She straightened out her skirt, buttoned up her shirt and did up her tie. Nate looked at her, perplexed, as if he were questioning why she was covering up.

"Wassup?" Nate looked at her with his adorable, confused-stoner face and waited patiently for a response.

"I just… need to be alone," she swallowed the lump in her throat and carried on, "I'm so sorry for today, Nate, but thank you for being here for me…. Get home safe, okay?" She hurried off before Nate could process her words and put together a generic reply; she hailed a cab and headed straight for her fifth avenue apartment.


	12. Disloyal Dorota

Blair stormed into the Waldorf penthouse with a face like thunder. She trudged up the stairs, got into her room, slammed the door shut and dumped her Miu Miu bag on a chair before collapsing onto her bed in a strop. She let out a loud, animal-like grunt in frustration which caused Dorota, Blair's maid to come running in. "Miss Blair, what happen?"

"Serena happened," she huffed back with her face still in the pillow.

Dorota looked confused but knew well enough to be cautious around an agitated Blair. "What Miss Serena do? I thought you were getting along?"

"Oh, Dorota! Get with the program. I _hate_ Serena, and we need to get her back for the stunt she pulled today." Blair didn't actually have any reason to hate Serena- if anything, Serena should hate _her_… but her attention-seeking today was kind of annoying, and she needed a viable reason to not be chummy with her and have to face her every day, knowing what she'd been doing with Dan. Dorota didn't know about her affair with Dan and she wasn't about to tell her.

"_We_?" Dorota had picked up on her inclusion in this take-down.

"Yes, Dorota. We." Blair said, exasperated. "I need you to help me ruin her birthday… it's next Saturday at hers and you can bet it's gonna be a typical tacky Serena van der Woodsen party, so I'm sure she won't mind if we spice it up a bit."

"Miss Blair…" Dorota was worried; Blair was pretty scary when she was scheming and it always ended in tears when it involved Serena. "You and Miss Serena are like sister. You need to stop all this fighting with each other."

"Dorota, Serena needs to be put in her place once and for all. I can't take her bullshit anymore and you're going to help me. I have something that will permanently stop the sun from shining out her ass as of next Saturday night." Blair was deadly serious. She knew deep down that she was in the wrong but her pride was too powerful; she knew that once Serena found out about her and Dan, their friendship would be over anyway, and Blair wasn't about to let Serena be the one to dump _her_. She'd been holding onto something of Serena's for quite some time now, just in case. It was a highly incriminating tape that she'd managed to acquire. She knew it wasn't very best-friend-like of her to be keeping it but this was the Upper East Side- at the end of the day, it's every man for themselves.

"No, Miss Blair. I will not help you this time. You and Miss Serena need to sort it out. What would Audrey do?" Dorota had a reputation for her loyalty to Blair and all her crazy schemes but she wouldn't comply this time; she pretty much raised Blair single-handedly and she was close with Serena too as she was always at Blair's place, so she couldn't be a part of this. She added her normally-effective one-liner about Audrey- Blair's idol in a last-ditch attempt to get her to change her mind. Dorota would always mention Audrey when Blair was going raging-bull and was lacking in the grace department.

"Fuck Audrey. Audrey never had to deal with this shit. If you won't help me, I guess I'll have to put up with with Kati and Is. Go and get me some macaroons; I can't work on an empty stomach."

Dorota nodded and shuffled off to do as she was told. "Yes, Miss Blair."


	13. Serena 3,0

Serena skipped school on Tuesday and stayed in after convincing her mom that she was sick. She was mortified about her behaviour and needed to let it blow over before she returned. Surely there'd be some more interesting gossip that would make everyone forget about her stoned display.

Don't count on it, S. That was quite a stunt you pulled there…

It was now Wednesday afternoon- school was out and Serena decided it was time to venture outside the penthouse and take a walk. She'd been thinking a lot over these past few days; she didn't want to be heartbroken anymore; she was sick of constantly pining over Dan. She had to move on and start being Serena van der Woodsen again and be her own woman before she was anyone elses. Guys pined over her, not the other way round.

We'll see how long that lasts, shall we, S?

Serena stepped out onto 5th avenue and started walking to nowhere in particular. She put her iPod headphones in and walked without a care in the world, trying to really appreciate everything around her and notice all the tiny details about her neighbourhood that she never cared for before. She actually managed to shower this time and she was looking very much herself; her trademark golden blonde locks were effortlessly flowing in the light breeze as she walked and her face was fresh and clean with minimal make up. She kept it simple with some skinny jeans, Chanel flats and a chic black Burberry coat. She continued walking, unconsciously smiling at every passer-by.

Walking the opposite way up 5th avenue was a boy about her age who was clearly lost. He looked scruffy and was wearing a soaking wet St Jude's uniform. His hair was messy and he was looking around desperately as he walked, obviously disorientated.

Serena was still walking, minding her own business and bobbing her head along with her music. She saw some little kids playing across the street and she smiled at them and how carefree they were- she missed that. Just as she went to wave at them, she walked straight into the boy who evidently wasn't paying any more attention to the sidewalk than she was.

"Oh my God. I'm so. I'm so sorry. I'm so-" the boy stuttered and grew even more nervous when he saw the beautiful girl he just walked into. Serena chuckled and cut him off, trying to calm him down, "hey, it's okay don't worry. I was totally out of it. I wasn't looking where I was I going." She smiled genuinely.

The boy continued to choke on his words, overwhelmed by Serena's beauty and how nice she was. "Oh- uh. 'kay. Well, sorry again." He smiled and tried to get away as quickly as possible to avoid any more embarrassment.

Serena did a double take when she noticed the familiar uniform and how completely soaked he was. Just as he began to walk away, she stopped him. "Wait, you go to St Jude's?" She'd never seen him before, "Why are you so wet?" she laughed.

"Uhh…" his eyes cut from left to right, checking there was nobody there who knew him. "Yeah, I… I'm err… new. First day." He looked around nervously and swallowed. He couldn't help but think this was a set-up. Why would this girl bother talking to him?

Serena smirked. She was used to having boys squirm in her presence but this was extreme. "Looks like you got off to a good start then" she said sarcastically before offering out her hand to introduce herself, "I'm Serena." She said charmingly.

He took her hand nervously and smiled sheepishly. "Nice to meet you, Serena... Yeah, it wasn't the best day." He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. Serena laughed a little at him. She found it cute when boys did that. "So, are you gonna tell me your name, or is this the part where I guess?"

He felt even more awkward after she said that,_** you idiot. Who forgets to say their name when they meet someone?** _"Oh!"**_ oh, shit. Oh, shit. What's my name?_ **"Uhh… sorry, yeah, I'm Lucas." He smiled a little, relieved that he finally spat it out.

"You sure about that?" Serena joked.

Lucas finally loosened up a bit. "Who knows. I've probably got concussion anyway."

"Yeah, what happened to you? You look like you just went five rounds with Tyson."

"Chuck Bass, actually." He said dryly

"Oh!" Serena said, finally piecing it together. "That makes more sense. I take it you're not from Manhattan then?"

"Nah, just moved to Brooklyn from Tree Hill, North Carolina. Does this happen often then? You say it like it's normal…"

"Yeah, every year as a sort of an initiation for the newbies. Looks like you got lucky and only got the drowning in the lake. They don't call him Basshole for nothing. You got a way of getting home?"

"Uhm," Lucas faltered, knowing he didn't have a clue how he was getting home and he had no money on him but he didn't want to burden her. "Yeah, yeah. I got it. I'll be fine." He smiled and stood there awkwardly, half regretting that he didn't just tell her the truth.

"Are you sure? I mean, you're a pretty long way from home. Plus, you're soaked. My place is just up the road; you can borrow some of my brother's clothes or something." she asked him, sincerely concerned for him; she felt bad that he'd just had the shit beaten out of him by Chuck and his boys and she felt like she owed the world a favour or two for her recent behaviour.

Lucas was a little taken aback by her offer, seeing as though he'd just met her. "That's really kind of you but are you sure? I mean, you just met me. I could be a murderer. Look at me! I'm hardly presentable enough to trust." He chuckled and gestured to his scruffy, wet clothing and roughed up face and hair.

"Oh, yeah, you're right," Serena joked and pretended to walk off. Lucas took her seriously for a second and got disheartened before she let out a light giggle and turned back, guiding him back to her place, "come on, scruffy. I'll fix you up."

Lucas did as told and followed her back to her place, making small-talk along the way, getting to know each other a little better. Serena was the first person to show him any sort of kindness since he got to the city a few days ago and he appreciated it. To Serena, Lucas was refreshing. It was nice to meet someone who wasn't part of this Upper East Side crowd- it was actually one of the reasons she fell for Dan.

Once they'd gone in and Lucas had fixed his hair and changed into a fresh change of clothes that Serena borrowed for him from her brother, Serena realised that she hadn't given him enough credit for his looks. She wasn't the type of girl to be too bothered about appearances- she did date Dan Humphrey- but it didn't hurt if the guy was easy on the eye. Lucas had gorgeous, thick, dirty blond hair which was casually styled as if he'd just got out of bed and he had tiny, light blue eyes which immediately struck Serena; she'd always said that she could judge a person by their eyes, and from Lucas', she could tell he was friendly, innocent and had a big heart, but there was a mystery to him that intrigued her more than anything. And let's not even go there about his lips; they were so full and kissable that Serena couldn't look directly at them for more than half a second without thinking inappropriately.

Hang on, S, I thought you were done with boys and were going all independent 'n' shit?

Lucas sat down at the kitchen table while Serena was making coffee and he looked around the apartment, like it was Buckingham Palace; he'd never seen an apartment so grand and so filled with expensive art and antiquities.

"So, it's a nice place you got here. It's only a bit smaller than mine. Oh, hey, I have that exact same painting at my place." He joked, gesturing to the four-hundred thousand dollar Monet on the wall.

Serena smirked as she shook her head. She could tell he was joking, seeing as he lived in Brooklyn, but she wasn't snobby about it, "Oh is that so? Yeah, it's pretty small here but I guess we make do with what we have." Lucas laughed and nodded. "Yeah, it's tiny!"

She handed him his coffee and sat down at the kitchen table opposite him. "Oh, and about that painting… it's interesting that you have the same one, seeing as though this is the only one ever made…" she put on a fake awkward face as she took a sip from her mug. "Oops, my mistake. It's a similar one. We've just got so many that I get them mixed up sometimes." Lucas played along; he thought it best to be the one to mock the fact he wasn't rich before anyone else could because he had a feeling he'd get stick for it anyway if today with Chuck was anything to go by; he decided it was better to get used to it now. He could tell Serena wasn't the type of girl to pick on him for his social class but he had to admit he was having fun bantering with her, so he carried on because he was worried they'd run out of things to talk about and there'd be a dreaded awkward silence before the lack of words asked him to leave.

To Lucas' surprise, the conversation didn't die out; Serena always had something to say. She was raised in a family who mastered all the social graces before they could walk, so if anyone could keep a conversation alive, it was Serena van der Woodsen- and Lucas was extremely grateful for this. He wasn't retarded or anything, but it was kind of hard to maintain your composure after bumping into a girl like Serena, looking the way he did and then being taken into her apartment like a hobo off the street, being given clean clothes and a coffee and then having to hold a conversation without saying anything stupid or staring at her in awe like she was an angel who'd been sent to save him.

Once the coffees were finished, Lucas took that as his cue to leave; he stood up and went to go and wash the mugs. "So, anyway, Serena, I best get going. But thank you so much, really."

Serena stared at him like he'd just got down and started scrubbing the floor. "Hey, what are you doing? You don't need to wash those. Don't be silly. We have a maid." She stopped him, taking hold of his arm, putting the mugs to the side.

"Oh, right, of course." He chuckled, and then scratched the back of his head again as he looked down at the floor. Serena had to look away because she found something so unbelievably attractive about the way he did it. The shirt he had borrowed from Serena's brother was a little tight on him, so his biceps looked like they were about to rip it open when he put his hand up to his head.

They both headed towards the elevator of the apartment, "The car will downstairs in a couple minutes. Just tell him my name and he'll take you home."

Lucas wasn't quite sure he heard her properly. "The car?"

"Yeah, the town car. The black, long thing?" she replied as if everyone had one.

Lucas felt bad that she was doing all of this for him, "Oh no, that's really not necessary. I'm sure I can find a way home."

"Don't be silly, it's nothing. After the day you've had, the least you deserve is a safe ride home."

"Thanks, Serena. I honestly had no idea how I was getting home," he admitted with an embarrassed laugh. "When can I give you back the clothes?"

"Tomorrow? You can pay me back with coffee or ice cream or something." She smiled as she hit the button for the elevator.

"You're a cheap date then. Coffee or ice cream?" He laughed lightly.

"Oh, so you think it's a date?"

Lucas froze for a split second,_** oh, nice one dipshit. Smooth talker. Good job. Who says that?**_ "Hey, you asked me out. Not the other way round." He managed to quip back with a cheeky smirk. "I'll pick you up at three-ten outside Constance for our…uhm… rendezvous?"

Serena giggled and pushed him into the elevator. "Oh, shh, you. See you then." Lucas stumbled into the elevator and smiled at her. "See ya. Thanks again," he said as the doors closed. He felt like doing a celebratory dance or fist pump or something, but he was too paranoid that she might be watching the CCTV camera in the lift. Did he really just score a date with Serena van der Woodsen?

Don't think you're special, Luke, S is known for her charity work.


	14. I Sniff a Scheme

Dan was busy doing whatever it was a Humphrey 'man' does when he's at home when his phone rang. Dan shot up as if it were the most riveting thing that had happened all day (let's be honest, it probably was). He hurried eagerly to answer it but then he paused when he saw the caller ID, "Blair".

He put his hand through his hair before he nervously answered, waiting to be barked at. "Blair, hey."

"Hey," she says, surprisingly sweetly.

I sniff a scheme.

Dan was confused but he wasn't about to question her. "What's up? Everything OK?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. Oh and by the way, I wouldn't worry about Chuck." **_You should worry about me,_ **she was thinking.

"How do you know? Are you sure?"

"Positive. Don't worry. I just wanted to apologize as well for snapping the other day. Serena was just really getting on my tits and I was freaking out."

Dan's eyes widened, imagining all sorts, "Sorry, Serena was what?"

Blair laughed a little, "Oh, sorry, British phrase. Getting on my nerves," she corrected, "I've been learning the lingo- I'm going there in the summer and thought I'd get prepared."

"Right…" Dan scratched his head, still wondering why she called but he didn't know how to put it politely.

"Aaanyway, so, the reason I'm calling is, I was wondering if you would go to S' party with me."

"Serena? Uhmm, Blair, I don't think I'm invited to that…"

"Oh, of course you are. Anyway, you'll be my plus one, so it doesn't matter. Pick me up at my place at nine next Saturday- I can't make the beginning of the party so we'll just swing by later."

Dan felt overwhelmed, "wait, why are you planning this so early? Why do you want to go with me? Aren't we keeping things private?"

"I thought this would be the perfect occasion to come out as a couple. Why hide it? Plus, everyone's going to find out soon enough, we may as well tell everyone ourselves," she lied.

"Your best friend and my ex-girlfriend's eighteenth birthday party is the perfect place to come out as a couple? Blair, what's going on?" Dan wasn't completely naïve to Blair's scheming but he did secretly hope she had good, honest intentions.

Erm…this is Blair Waldorf we're talking about, right?

"Oh, Dan, you ask so many questions. Serena will be fine. She's moved on from you anyway. She couldn't care less. Cool, so it's sorted. Seeya then!" She ended the call quickly before he could protest any further. She didn't know about Lucas or about Serena's reformation…again. But she knew that Serena was still in love with Dan and knew this was the ultimate way to get to her.


	15. Rendezvous

Lucas got out of AP English five minutes late because Chuck decided to empty his bag all over the floor as everyone rushed out of class. Lucas didn't bother standing up for himself; he just waited until everyone was gone to pick it all up before rushing out to meet Serena.

He had exactly five minutes to make a seven minute trip. He'd have to run if he wanted to make it on time. He didn't want to make her wait and he didn't have her number to call her, so he didn't want her to think he'd forgotten.

He started to run, weaving in and out of the pedestrians on the busy sidewalk. He slowed to a speed-walk when he noticed he was breaking a sweat. His anxiety didn't help that situation either. He undid a few buttons to let some air into his shirt before he began running again. He was almost there but needed to cover more ground before he walked the remainder of the way; he couldn't exactly run straight into her. He needed to act as composed as possible.

Meanwhile, Serena was sitting patiently by herself on the steps of Constance Billard school for girls, listening to music and playing Angry Birds on her iPod touch. She was more concerned with completing the level she was struggling with than the time- completely unaware that Lucas was rushing to meet her as if he were trying to stop her boarding a plane or something.

Lucas checked his watch- it was already ten minutes past but he could already see Serena on the steps so he had no choice but to walk the rest of the way.**_ Great, I'm late. She's pissed off. I know it. She's never going to want to meet up with me again,_** he muttered to himself.

He eventually got to her, just two minutes late, but scolding himself nonetheless. "Hey, Serena. Sorry I kept you waiting." He tried to hide the fact that he was out of breath.

Serena looked up and smiled, taking out her earphones. "Hey! How are you? You look flustered!" She sprang up and picked up her bag.

**_Oh, great, I look flustered. Brilliant._ **"Oh, I am? Probably just hot."

_**Yes, you are,** _Serena thought to herself. "So! Where are we off to for our 'rendezvous' then?"

Lucas looked like a deer in headlights. He'd been so preoccupied with not being late that he hadn't thought at all about where they'd go. "Uhhhh…" he did that sexy head scratch again as he tried to think up an itinerary.

Serena smirked and bit her lip in an attempt to prevent the girly giggles she felt coming on. Lucas caught her feeble attempt to mask her apparent amusement and immediately felt self-conscious, thinking it was something bad. "w-what did I do?"

Serena cleared her throat and swallowed hard, distracting herself with her hair to stop the inappropriate thoughts. "Oh, nothing, sorry…just had a funny thought. So anyway- rendezvous."

"Oh, uh, yeah. Well… the thing is, I don't really know anywhere round here…" He looked at her awkwardly, hoping for her to help him out.

"Don't worry, silly. I know a really cute little café in Brooklyn. We'll take a cab. At least this way you won't be stranded in Manhattan!"

"You know café's in Brooklyn?" he asked incredulously.

"Don't underestimate me, Lucas. There's more to me than meets the eye. What's your last name anyway? I usually call my friends by their last names unless they have a nickname."

"Oh so I'm your friend now?" he smirked cheekily, "it's Scott."

"It's Scott. Lucas Scott." Serena mocked with a smouldering James Bond imitation.

Lucas laughed it off and shook his head. "So, what's your last name, friend?"

"van der Woodsen."

"Oh, cool. Serena van der Woodsen…" he played it over in his head, almost going off in a day dream about how much hotter she seemed with that name.

She smiled at him as she hailed a cab, knowing that he was experiencing similar feelings that she was. This wasn't a new thing for Serena. She was used to seeing guys fall over themselves around her but it wasn't often that she felt the same way and it was comforting to know that she wasn't the only one.

The journey to Brooklyn was perfectly awkward; Serena had always loved silent car journeys for some strange reason. Lucas, on the other hand, wasn't a fan of the awkward silence. Save for him handing her the clothes he borrowed, not one word was spoken.

Much to Lucas' relief, they reached their destination fifteen minutes later. He got out and eyed up what looked like a crappiest café in the whole of New York. He raised an eyebrow and gave Serena a questioning look. Serena rolled her eyes and nodded towards the door. "Come on. Don't knock it 'til you've tried it."

They walk into the café and Lucas pays for two coffees and a large dish of ice cream for them to share. "Honestly, Serena, I've never met anyone who has coffee and ice cream together, but refuses to just buy coffee ice cream." He laughs to himself and takes some ice cream from her half.

"Oi, hands off, Scott. And, hey! What can I say? I'm a unique girl."

"Well, that's one word for it." Lucas joked. He even shocked himself with his new-found confidence. It wasn't that he was always awkwardly shy, (back home, he was relatively popular and was captain of the basketball team) but with hot strangers, this was definitely the case. But he was beginning to become comfortable with Serena, the more he realised that she was definitely not like most of the privileged Manhattan girls.

They talked for a while longer before going their separate ways. They exchanged numbers and met up pretty much every day for the next week. Lucas had no other friends, and Serena had no other real friends either. She stayed in touch with Nate, but that was about it. She really liked Lucas and enjoyed spending time with him- even if it was just as friends. It was refreshing to be with someone who wasn't part of the elite; she felt like she could be herself and there was less pressure to act a certain way.

Wait, S, isn't that the same reason you fell for Humphrey Dumpty?


	16. Welcome To The Family

Friday, a week later, and Lucas and Serena had grown closer; they were pretty good friends now and Serena was surprised that he hadn't already made a move on her. She started to worry that maybe he was gay.

Oh, like a little homosexuality ever stopped Serena van der Woodsen. If he _was_ bent, she'd have him straightened out in no time.

Blair had her plan down to a T. She made sure only she knew the real plan; she wasn't stupid enough to let Kati and Is on what the whole plan was- she'd just give them the tape and make sure they put it in at the perfect time. She'd seen Serena and Lucas out and about and it just made her plan even more perfect. If all went smoothly, even Lucas would desert her.

After school, Serena stopped by Lucas' place. Over the last week, she'd grown fairly close with Lucas' mom. Lucas was an only child (well, he has a half-brother at home that they don't like to speak of) and his mom, Karen, was a single-mother so she and Lucas were about as close as mother and son could get, so Karen was pretty protective over him, but she absolutely loved Serena- who doesn't?

Serena knocked on worn the door to their modest apartment and Karen greeted her with a welcoming smile and took her into her arms. "Serena! How are you, sweetheart? Come in."

Serena happily returned the hug, "hey, Karen! I'm great, how are you? I just stopped by to see Lucas." She walked in with her and sat on a stool at the kitchen table where Karen was busy preparing dinner.

"Oh, Lucas won't be a minute- he's just gone out to get some things for dinner tonight. We'd love you to join us."

Serena was caught off-guard with her hospitality and stuttered a little before replying, "thank you, that's so sweet. Only if you don't mind. I don't want to make more work for you."

"Oh, nonsense, Serena. It's my pleasure. There's plenty of food to go round."

"Well, then, I'd love to join you! Is there anything I can help with?" Serena got up to try and make herself useful.

"Uhhmm…" Karen looked around to find a job for her, "I guess you could wash and cut the potatoes. Only if you want to, though, honey. You're fine as you are."

"No, it's no trouble. I can handle a few potatoes!" she chuckled and got to work. Serena actually liked helping out at Lucas' house. She liked how they did things as a family. With her own family, Serena rarely ever touched anything in the kitchen- especially not for dinner. They had maids and cooks for that. It was nice to actually be involved. Karen treated her as if she were family- just as Rufus had when she was with Dan.

Just as Serena got to chopping, Lucas walked in with the shopping. "Oh, hey, chef van der Woodsen! Mom, I didn't know we were hiring."

Serena gave him a look and shook her head, failing to conceal her smile.

Karen stepped in, "Lucas, don't be rude."

"Okay, okay, sorry." Lucas put his hands up in defence as he was putting the shopping away.

"Yeah, Luke, don't be rude. I'm the just sous chef. Give your mom a little more credit." Serena quickly joked back.

Serena and Karen exchanged a cute glance before they all got back to helping with dinner.

"Oh, by the way, Lucas, I nearly forgot the whole reason I came over in the first place; what are you doing tomorrow?"

"Uhh…" Lucas looked at his mom to check that she didn't need him for anything. Karen shrugged and gave him a nod to say he was free to do whatever it was that Serena wanted him for. "Nothing, I guess. Why?"

"It's my birthday tomorrow. I'm having a party at mine. It would be great if you came."

"Oh, crap!-"

"Language, Lucas!" Karen interjected.

"Sorry, mom… I had no idea it was your birthday! I haven't gotten you a present yet."

"Don't be silly, I don't want you to get me a present. That's why I waited to tell you now. Please don't buy me anything. I'm not like these other girls," she chuckled, "really; just having you there would be amazing. I don't even really want this party but my mom's gone to so much trouble planning it all already that I can't just cancel it. So what'ya say? Will you come?" She looked at him hopefully with doe-eyes. "Pretty please."

"Alright, alright. I'll come." He smiled and tapped her nose playfully. "But I feel bad for not having a present for you…"

"Oh, shh."

Don't you worry, S, we hear your best friend has the present to trump all presents...


	17. Ignominious Basstards

Later that evening, the Basshole himself paid Blair a visit at her apartment. He walked in, all smarmy and full of himself and let himself up into her bedroom- ignoring Dorota who insisted that "Miss Blair won't be happy."

Blair, who was sat at her vanity, removing her make-up and getting ready for bed, was startled as Chuck entered, uninvited.

"What the fuck are you doing, Chuck? Get out!"

"Relax, relax." He replied obnoxiously, motioning his hands downwards to tell her to calm down. "I know you've always wanted me alone in your bedroom."

Blair shuddered and replied with a disgusted look on her face. "Yeah, so I could make sure it was the last place you ever went."

Chuck smirked suggestively. "I love it when you talk dirty, Blair."

"No, you just love it when a girl talks to you."

"_Actually_, I prefer them when they're not talking…"

"Ugh. What do you want, Chuck?"

"So, you and Humphrey, huh? Would never have taken you for a philanthropist. I thought that was Serena's job."

"Shut up, Chuck. Say what you wanna say and get out. I don't have time for this. Whatever scheme you have planned to out us- go ahead. I don't care."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, Chuck. Because we're coming out tomorrow…at Serena's party. Whatever scheme you have planned- I have a bigger one."

"Oh," he faltered- unable to carry on with his plan of action as he wasn't expecting her to be a step ahead of him.

Does he not know who Blair Waldforf is?

"well then, let me in on it. You know a scheme ain't a scheme until Chuck Bass is in on it."

Blair rolled her eyes and sighed. She despised Chuck, but she knew he was right; he was invaluable to have on your side in situations like these. "Fine. But you have no say. You simply do what I tell you." She explained the plan in excruciating detail; Chuck nodded along and tried to pretend that she was talking to him because she actually liked him and not just because he was useful.

Aw, poor, lonely Chuckles.


	18. Birthday Girl

It was the day of Serena's party; Serena's eighteenth birthday. It was ten am and her maid, Maria, decided it was time to wake her. Usually, a Saturday morning meant Bendels, Barney's and Saks with Blair, but now that was out of the question, she decided on a lie in and a lazy day before her party later on. It didn't really feel like her birthday at all- normally, on her birthday, Blair would stay over the night before and they'd stay up and watch movies and they'd get ready for the party together the next day. Spending her birthday without her best friend just wasn't the same and she really wasn't feeling festive.

Maria walked in and opened the curtains harshly, letting the brightness slash across Serena's eyes. "Wakey wakey, birthday girl. Levantarse!" Maria threw in the odd Spanish word here and there out of habit. One year, when Serena was younger, Maria refused to speak to her in English because she thought it would be good for her to learn another language. Serena ended up being pretty a competent speaker and it definitely came in handy when she went on holiday to Spain. Apparently a white girl who could speak fluent Spanish was irresistible to the natives. Let's just say she had lots to 'do' while she was there…

Serena grumbled and hid under her duvet. "Go away, Maria. It's early!"

"Early? Dios mio! It's ten am, Serena. Come on, we do something fun. Where's Blair?" She yanked the duvet away from Serena, hurrying her to get ready.

Serena huffed in annoyance at the sound of Blair's name, "No estamos hablando sobre eso puta, Maria. Let's just go and get breakfast or something?"

Maria raised an eyebrow. "Serena, you have such beautiful accent. Why you only espeak espanish when you want to swear? Es una pena."

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck shit fuck…fuck." Serena watched Maria's eyes practically pop out of their sockets as she snickered. "See. Now, would you prefer me swearing in Spanish or English?"

"Serena, you lucky it's your birthday. Señoritas shouldn't swear at all. Get ready and we'll go to Serendipity 3- your favourite. Do you want to open your present from your mom now or later?"

"I already know what it is," Serena replied, uninterested. "I'll open it in a minute." Serena's mom, Lily, never really put much thought into Serena's birthday presents. She could be sure to receive a handbag from the new Chanel collection, or if Lily really spiced it up, Serena might get a new pair of Louboutin's too.

Maria left and Serena reluctantly got dressed; she just wanted today to be over already. She was dressed and just about to leave with Maria when he phone buzzed. It was a text from Lucas: "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU. YOU LOOK LIKE A TRUST FUND BRAT…BUT YOU EAT FAST FOOD TOO! :P have a good day, van der Woodsen. See you tonight. – L" Serena laughed to herself as she read it and her mood brightened up. She sent a thank you text back to him and headed out the door for breakfast.


	19. Who's the Guy?

Seven O'Clock came and guests started filtering into the van der Woodsen apartment, bearing gifts. Vanya, the doorman, was being bombarded with presents and he stacked them on a table in the foyer. Serena watched the pile rapidly grow and she started to feel nauseous, thinking about how long it would take her to write thank you cards to everyone.

Serena greeted everyone warmly and mingled with all her old friends. To be honest, Serena played up the whole being lonely thing- she was never really lonely- it's not like there isn't an endless line of girls (and boys) who would _pay_ to be best friends with her. She had tons of 'friends' but Blair was the only one who she really did everything with and told everything to, and she wasn't there.

Not, yet, she isn't. Be careful what you wish for, S.

Serena was over by the table of drinks, dancing with Felicity, Laura, Emily and Ava, just as Lucas walked in, alone, but carrying a small package in his hand, even though Serena told him not to get her anything. Serena excused herself from the girls and made her way over to Lucas.

"Hey, Luke!" She hugged him tight.

He returned the hug and then stepped back to take a look at her. "Happy birthday! You look beautiful. How does it feel to be eighteen?" He handed her the present. "It's only something small."

She smiled enthusiastically. "Thank you. It feels pretty good! But maybe that's just the champagne." She giggled a little and then gave him a look before guiltily accepting his gift. "Lucas…I was being serious when I said I didn't want anything. I feel terrible! You shouldn't have."

"Nah, it's nothing. Just something small. Open it."

She unwrapped it to find a box, about the same size as her palm. "Is it a giant Haribo engagement ring or something?" She laughed and raised an eyebrow sarcastically.

Lucas laughed a little and shook his head playfully. "Shut up. No. Just open it, you goof."

She lifted the lid of the box to find a bright blue, rough Sapphire stone with a hand-written note on fancy card underneath it. Serena's eyes widened, completely surprised. "Wow, Luke, this is beautiful."

"It's your birthstone. Blue sapphire. Stone of prosperity. I dunno, I thought it was pretty. There's a little card in there that has the properties and symbolism and stuff on it too." He smiled and then felt a little nervous, hoping she liked it. The more he looked at it, the sillier he thought it was. "Sorry, it's probably stupid."

"Lucas, are you joking? I love it. You're like the only person who's actually put any thought into my gift. Sure, a Chanel clutch is great, but it's a bit impersonal. Really, this is beautiful. I'm gonna go and put it in my room."

Lucas smiled brightly, relieved and glad that she liked it. "You're welcome! Hey, read the note."

"Oh, okay, hang on." She pulled out the card and began reading. _"Dear Serena, Happy 18th Birthday! I know we haven't known each other long, but now, in retrospect, I'm kind of glad I got beaten up, because otherwise, I wouldn't have bumped into you! It's been a great week getting to know you so far, you're a great girl and I hope there'll be many more weeks to come! Love from Lucas"_

"Awwww!" Serena cooed and pulled him into another hug, kissing him on the cheek. "For the record, I'm glad you got beaten up too." She giggled and ruffled his hair. "Here, let me get you a drink."

"Oh, it's okay, I don't drink." Serena raised her eyebrow, pleasantly surprised. She took him back into the party and introduced him to everyone. Lucas was a little bit overwhelmed by all the people and all the eyes on him. He could hear people whispering and speculating.

"Is that Serena's new boyfriend? He's might be a step up from Dan, but he still looks poor…"

"I bet that's one of her guys from boarding school. He probably came back to make sure she got rid of the baby or something."

"I doubt he was at boarding school with her- he doesn't look like he has an STD."

"She probably just picked him up off the street and paid him to be her date so she wouldn't look like a loser at her own party."

Lucas heard the mutterings and was more confused than offended. What happened at boarding school? Was this the same Serena they were talking about? He decided to ignore it and give her the benefit of the doubt; he tried to loosen up as much as possible and just enjoy the evening, for Serena's sake.

Don't worry, Lucas, there won't be any doubt soon enough….


	20. Surprise!

It was about 9pm and the party was getting into full swing; some people were dancing; most people were drinking; some people were standing by the drinks table, watching the wall with the projection of videos and pictures of a timeline of Serena from childhood till present. Serena was surprised her mom had even bothered taking all these pictures and videos of her. She always had the impression that her mom didn't really care. Sure, Lily was hardly mother of the year, but she did love Eric and Serena more than anything, even if she didn't show it. She preferred to add more men to the list of Lily van der Woodsen's ex-husbands than spend time with them. Her name was actually Lily Rhodes, but she felt that van der Woodsen (the name of her first husband and Serena and Eric's father) commanded more respect in the Upper East Side. Anyway, Serena's daddy issues out the way, she thought it was pretty cute of her mom to make her this slideshow, and it more than made up for the lack of imagination with the Chanel clutch.

Only Serena van der Woodsen would complain about being given Chanel handbags.

The timeline was starting to get to Serena's more recent years and Kati and Is took that as their cue to text Blair to continue on with the next part of the plan. If you haven't already noticed, Kati and Is are pretty much a package deal; you won't find one without the other.

Blair was at home, ready. She got Kati's text and decided to speed things up. She called Dan and told him she'd pick him up instead of him coming to her. She got in her town car and it barely took her twenty minutes to make it to Serena's place with him. They were in the car, waiting downstairs because Dan was freaking out. Blair tried her best to pretend she gave a shit about him and she offered a few reassuring words about how she and Serena were fine and she'd already told her and she was fine about it.

Yeah, okay then, Blair.

Blair really couldn't care less about Dan. She didn't want a relationship with him; she only ever wanted him because he was Serena's and she wanted to prove that whatever Serena 'did', she could 'do' too. As soon as everything went down and Dan realised she was just using him, he probably wouldn't want to talk to her anyway. It was a win/win for Blair.

Back at the party, Lucas was off in Serena's room, taking a call (probably from his mom, making sure he didn't stay out too late). Serena was talking to Penelope and Alyssa, on the sofas, just as Dan and Blair appeared from the elevator to the penthouse.

Heads turned and the whispers began. Serena heard all the commotion and turned around to see what all the fuss was about. She froze when she saw Blair and Dan arrive together. She hadn't put two and two together yet, but their presence separately was enough to put Serena on edge. She turned back around and tried to compose herself; she took another flute of champagne and practically downed it as she saw Blair coming towards her- Dan didn't have the nerve, so he hung back, by the bar.

"S! Happy birthday, babe! You look great. I'll give you your present a little later on- it's still not quite finished." Blair hugged Serena, putting on a show for everyone. Making a huge display- making sure that everyone knew she'd arrived.

Serena couldn't exactly make a scene and ask Blair what the fuck she was doing. She couldn't figure out if Blair was up to something or if she'd genuinely just got amnesia and blanked on the part where they clearly weren't on great terms. Serena had no choice but to make nice and act as if nothing had ever happened and they were the same old Blair and Serena

"Hey, B! Thanks." Serena tried to hide her displeasure and was thankful when Blair decided to leave her and say hi to everyone else.

"S, excuse me while I go and say hi to a couple people. I'll be back in a bit." Serena and Blair exchanged the fakest smile that's ever graced the earth before Blair disappeared off somewhere to be a continue being a biyatch.

"Kati, you block Is and make sure no one sees. Is, you take this," Blair handed her a memory stick with Serena's 'present' on it, "put it in the laptop over by the projector. It's 9:56 now- press play at 10pm…on the dot. Don't fuck this up." Blair walked off to get Dan…

Chuck was waiting in the wings for his cue to do his bit. The adrenaline was pumping; Chuck lived for times like these.

Blair grabbed Dan, took his face in her hands and proceeded to shove her tongue down his throat. He was a little shocked, but he went with it. Once again, all eyes turned to them. Serena's eyes were fixed on them. It was the last thing she wanted to see but she was too heartbroken to move. A lump formed in her throat as tears filled her eyes. She struggled for air, and she covered her mouth to prevent herself from bursting into tears.

How could Blair do this to her? And why did she have to do it like this? She knew how much Dan meant to her. What did she do to her to deserve this? On her birthday.

All eyes diverted to Serena to see her reaction. Serena got up, unable to handle being in a room with all these people just waiting for her to explode. Helplessly looking around, she tried to figure out the quickest way to get out of the penthouse-

10pm…

Chuck pulled the plug on the music, just as Is pressed play on the laptop…

Onto the giant wall of the lounge was projected a video of Serena from boarding school just over a year ago…

Everyone gasped in unison and stared up at it. Serena stopped in her tracks and could do nothing but watch with them; she was already too far away from the laptop to do anything about it. She recognised from the intro (a drunken sixteen year old Serena speaking into the camera while she set it up) what the video was. She wanted to be sick. Was this really happening?

The video cut to Serena and an unknown guy on a bed. Sixteen year old Serena was busy going down on an unknown guy, while eighteen year old Serena glanced over at Blair, powerlessly, with sad, hurt eyes as if to ask why she was doing this. Blair's eyes replied coldly and unfazed as she joined in with the mocking and laughing that was going on amongst everyone else.

Just as sixteen year old Serena had taken a break from to do a line of coke- Lucas emerged from Serena's room after having finished his phone call. He blinked when he saw the projection and he cut his eyes to Serena, who was standing alone, in tears. She looked up and caught his gaze- he looked so disappointed in her. She felt her heart stop when she saw him. Lucas, of all people, could not know this side of her. She opened her mouth to try and explain herself but no words came out.

Lucas thought it best to leave when the projection got a little too pornographic for his liking; ever-considerate Chuck had turned up the speakers, just to make sure everyone could hear clearly.

He picked up his jacket from the arm of the sofa, walked straight past Serena and headed for the elevator. He repeatedly pressed the elevator button impatiently as a desperate Serena hurried to follow him out. "Luke, wait! Please!"

Lucas turned around and put his hands out, warning her to keep her distance. "No, Serena. Just stay away from me."

Serena started to cry harder, begging him to hear her out. "Please, Luke. It's not what it looks like; I can explain. Please. You have to believe me. That's not me anymore."

"You, know, you always say that you're not like these other girls, Serena. Well, from where I'm standing, maybe you aren't so different from these people after all. You know what? Maybe you're worse."

Lucas stepped into the elevator. Serena's whole world had just fallen apart and the last good thing left had just deserted her. She didn't know what came next; she didn't know if things could get any worse, but she knew she'd never forget her eighteenth birthday- the day everything changed.

Just as the elevator door was closing, Serena interrupted the stabbing silence between them, "I'm sorry that I'm not who you thought I was…but if you can't accept that, then you're not who I thought you were either…"

The elevator door responded for Lucas as it shut in Serena's face, leaving her standing there alone. After a pause, her tears turned to hysterics and sadness turned to anger. She went back to the lounge and screamed for everyone to get out before she ran off and took the service elevator out of her apartment and as far away as possible.

Happy birthday, S.


	21. The Girl Is a Classless Whore

Lucas walked most of the way home that night- all the way from Serena's lavish Manhattan penthouse to his shitty Brooklyn apartment. It took him over two hours, but he needed time to cool off and mull over his thoughts so he didn't go storming into his place and freaking out his mom.

Nevertheless, Lucas went storming into his place, freaking out his mom.

"Lucas! What's wrong? What happened?" Karen was immediately concerned; the only time she ever saw Lucas like this was back home when his 'brother' and his friends were giving him grief, so she was understandably concerned. "Did they do anything to you, Luke?"

Lucas ignored her and headed straight for his room. He slammed the door shut and slumped on his bed.

"LUCAS EUGENE SCOTT! How _dare you._ We don't slam doors!" Karen was furious; she didn't care about whatever was bothering him- respect, morals and politeness were paramount in this household. Karen had a strict set of ground rules that if not adhered to, would be invariably punished. She opened his door and stood at the foot of his bed, demanding an apology and an explanation.

"Okay, mom, I'm sorry!" Lucas snapped back with his face buried in the pillow.

"Lucas, look at me when I'm talking to you! And lower your tone, young man."

Lucas resisted the urge to make a smart comment. Instead, he complied; he sat up and tried to cool down before he responded. "It's Serena…"

Karen's facial expression softened somewhat. "What happened between you two? You were getting along so well."

Lucas sighed, "Yeah, well, she just isn't the girl I thought she was. I shouldn't have expected any different."

Karen found this hard to believe. She was usually a pretty good judge of character, and she loved Serena. "What exactly did she do tonight to upset you so much? She seemed like such a lovely girl."

"That's just their M.O.… some girl crashed her party and played her drug-fuelled sex tape. I just can't be friends with someone like that, mom." Lucas pulled his knees up to his chest, rested his elbows on his knees and began playing with his hands as a distraction to keep from replaying the tape in his mind.

"But what did she do _tonight?_ Why did they play the video?"

Lucas shrugged. "Nothing. She just sat there. What could she do? She got exposed. And, I don't know, they used to be friends but something happened between them. Who knows."

Karen's faced changed again- this time to sympathy. Lucas thought she could see his point of view and he gave her a knowing nod whilst he raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips.

"Poor girl! A bunch horrible kids ruined her birthday and humiliated her and you didn't have the decency to take her side! You're supposed to be friends, Lucas!"

"Mom, are you serious? The girl is a classless whore. Why should I defend her?"

"Watch your mouth, Lucas. I don't care what she did. As her friend, you're supposed to be there for her. I can't imagine how she must be feeling. It's her birthday. Quite frankly, Lucas, I'm disappointed in you." Karen walked out and left Lucas to think about his behaviour and consider Serena's feelings in all of this.

Despite his mother's harangue, Lucas went to bed equally as pissed off as when he got in and he stuck to his guns on the thought that Serena was nothing more than a cheap, shameless slut who got her comeuppance.

Yeah, you and the rest of the Upper East Side, Luke.


	22. How The Mighty Fall

Serena left the party that night with nothing and no one but her dark, depressing thoughts. She walked as far away as possible; she didn't want to be anywhere near her apartment. She needed to be alone. Public humiliation for Serena never ever really got worse than a wardrobe malfunction- this was on a whole other level that she just couldn't handle, but the thing that hurt her most was Lucas' reaction and lack of support.

The only person she could think of to turn to right now was Nate, but Nate was staying with his grandfather in New Hampshire for the weekend; she really had no one left. She flirted with the idea of going on a drug or alcohol binge and sleeping with a stranger, but she decided that probably wasn't the best way of rehabilitating her image.

Smart girl, our S.

After over an hour of walking to nowhere in particular, she came to the conclusion that she should stop feeling sorry for herself. She's done the whole going-off-the-rails thing and it really didn't get her anywhere. She'd ended up near Harlem- a teenage girl, alone, in the middle of the night, with no protection. She looked around at all the beefy guys hanging out on street corners, leering at her. They eyed her up and down like a piece of meat, whispering to each other.

She didn't know if she was being paranoid, but she decided to go with the: _what's the worst that can happen, Serena. You wanted to die about 20 minutes ago anyway. Whatever will be will be_ attitude. She relaxed a little and kept strolling through the street- she still didn't really know what she was doing or where she was going to sleep, but she kept going.

A few minutes later, she came across a homeless man, curled up with a dirty sleeping bag, shivering in the doorway of a K-mart. He looked up at her with harmless, hopeless eyes, waiting for her to walk by like every other person. He wondered what a pretty girl like her was doing around this area but that only lowered his expectations further. He put his head back down and took a swig from his bottle of Gordon's gin.

"Excuse me, sir?" Serena softly interrupted his swig.

He looked up at her, a little afraid of her and very confused; he didn't remember the last time someone called him 'Sir'. He'd grown accustomed to 'bum'; 'hobo'; 'tramp' and 'beggar'.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you… can I..." Serena hesitated a little but thought, _what the hell._ "Do you mind if I sit with you for a while?"

He nodded- completely baffled and extremely intimidated by her. So, there was Serena van der Woodsen- former 'it girl' of the Upper East Side, slumming it in Harlem with a hobo. She carefully sat down, trying to cover her modesty with her barely-there, blue, floral, Chanel mini-dress; she took off her Louboutin's and began talking to the guy and explaining how she got there. She listened to stories of his life and how_ he_ got there, too. They went to a nearby McDonald's where she bought them both a meal before they went back to their K-mart spot and slept through the bitter night.

Oh, how the mighty fall.


	23. I Made Breakfast

Karen had been up all night worrying about Serena; she wondered if she should call her, but she wanted to give her space and she thought perhaps it wasn't her place to intervene.

She got up early to make her and Lucas some breakfast when Lucas emerged from his bedroom. Karen had hoped that he'd had a change of heart and was ready to go and see Serena, but she saw him fully dressed in his long, Nike basketball shorts, his trademark 'Scott Body Shop: Service and Repair' gray hoodie and his sneakers.

"Lucas, where are you going? I made breakfast."

"Not hungry. Gonna go down to the park and get some air."

Before she could protest, he'd already picked up his worn, Spalding basketball, put his headphones in, his hood up and headed out the door.


	24. Rise and Shine, Upper East,,,Oh

After having breakfast alone, Karen stared at the phone for a while, toying with the idea of ringing Serena to check up on her…Thanks to her lack of willpower and her over-active motherly instinct, Karen dialled Serena's number.

It was 9am and Serena woke up with the sound of her phone ringing, feeling a little weird now next to the homeless guy. He was already awake and just minding his own business.

Serena saw the caller ID and freaked out a little that Lucas was calling her- she wasn't prepared for this. She let it ring for a while before meekly answering. "Hey…"

"Hi Serena…It's Karen."

Serena expression saddened, and as much as she liked Karen, she couldn't help but be disappointed that it wasn't Lucas. "Oh…Hi, Karen. Is everything okay?"

Typical Serena; she was sleeping rough after being subjected to public humiliation at her own birthday party and yet she was still asking how everyone else was.

"Yes hon, I was just about to ask you the same thing, sweetheart… I heard about last night. I'm so sorry. Lucas will come round. He just needs time."

Serena sighed softly, "Yeah, it wasn't the best birthday to date. I'll be okay. I guess I just need some time too."

"Yeah. I'm sure people will get over it soon enough. But I'm here for you if you want to talk..."

"Thank you, Karen. That means more than you know."

"That's okay. Where are you right now? Would you like to meet for coffee? I tried your house phone but there was no answer."

L O L, have fun with this one, S.

"Uhmm… I'm actually in…" Serena winced as she looked around at her surroundings. "I'm in Harlem."

Karen nearly dropped the phone out of fear for her. "Harlem? Serena! Are you okay? Do you need me to come and get you?"

Serena chuckled a little bit. "Karen, I'm fine. I stayed the night here. I'm safe."

This set Karen's alarm system off. "You stayed the_ night_ there? Serena, do you have any idea how dangerous it is there for a girl of your age?"

"Yeah…I… I know, but I'm okay. I promise."

Conveniently left out the part with the tramp and sleeping bag then?

"I know you say you're okay, but I was once a teenager too, Serena. I'm concerned for you. Just meet me for coffee, at least to give me peace of mind."

"Okay… can you meet me at the Milk Bar in Brooklyn in an hour?

"I'll see you there. Be safe, Serena."

"I will." Serena hung up and called for her town car to come and pick her up. While she was waiting, she continued talking the homeless guy before she quickly nipped off to do something.

"Hey, I'll be back in like five minutes. Wait there."

Right…'Cause he has so many places to go, hasn't he, S?

Serena hit up the nearest ATM (UES trust fund brats always have their plastic on them) and withdrew three Benjamins. She came back, just in time for her car to pick her up; she crouched down by her new homeless friend and gave him the three hundred smackers while she thanked him for his…hospitality?

Jeez, we really are in a recession. Who knew the cold, tile floor of an abandoned K-mart door would set you back that much?


	25. Walk of Shame

Serena casually strolled into The Milk Bar a couple of minutes late, where Karen was already seated, waiting for her. She looked like she was on the walk of shame- still in last night's clothes and make up. But let's not get it twisted- our girl still works it.

She walked over to Karen and smiled slightly before being taken into a protective embrace.

"Oh, Serena, sweetie, I was so worried about you."

"Hey. Thanks, Karen. I'm okay, though, really."

They both sat down before Karen noticed Serena's odd choice of attire. "You're awfully dressed up for breakfast, Serena…"

"Uhh…" Serena awkwardly looked around before finally admitting exactly what happened.

"Oh _Serena!_ I'm going to_ kill_ Lucas for letting you go off alone!"

Serena laughed a little. "Karen, it's fine. It was pretty eye opening anyway. It made me feel better. It made me realise that I could have it a lot worse." Serena shrugged nonchalantly and ordered them some coffee and pastries.

"Serena, does your mom know about this?"

Serena laughed under her breath. "My mom? Yeah, not likely. She probably thinks I'm still out partying with Blair. She's clueless and really doesn't care. She's probably off finding husband number six."

They talked for close to an hour before Karen invited her back to her apartment. It took quite some convincing that Lucas wouldn't be there, but they finally headed back to her humble Brooklyn abode.


	26. Knock Knock, Who's There?

Karen and Serena were sitting at the usual kitchen seating area, talking over a bowl of tortilla chips and salsa. Serena was full from breakfast, but there was always room for a snack- especially if she was comfort eating.

Careful, S. You don't wanna ruin that lean figure of yours…

Oh, who are we kidding? The girl could go supersize at 'In-n-Out' three times a day and not put on a pound, and she isn't bulimic like some of the UES girls- *cough, cough* Blair Waldorf. She just has a metabolism like a jet engine- burns fuel like mad.

Karen was busy telling her about all the crazy stuff she did as a teenager. She wanted to try and make Serena feel a bit better and let her know that she didn't judge her.

"Woah, Karen, I would never have expected you to be so wiley." Serena said incredulously.

"Hey, I'll have you know, I was pretty cool when I was your age. Make the most of it before you grow old and boring like me. Be a kid while you can"

"Hey, I don't think you're boring. I think it's cool that you care." Serena smiled and drifted off into thoughts about her own mother.

"-but don't do anything illegal; anything that could get you pregnant, hurt or in trouble." Karen added seriously. Serena gave her a look like, _**excuse me?**_ before bursting into laughter.

"Ok, Karen… I'll try to make sure not to walk on the cracks in the pavement either. You can never be too safe!" they laughed together and kept bantering back and forth 'til they were both practically in tears and out of breath from laughing so much.

For that instance, Serena felt truly happy. She'd forgotten everything that was bothering her and it was just her and Karen having fun and bonding- nothing else was important. Moments like this put things in perspective and reminded her that maybe things weren't so bad.

Just because things weren't so bad, doesn't mean they aren't going to be…

Serena was trying to calm her intermittent bursts of laughter as she wiped the tears from her face when the door opened unexpectantly, revealing a sweat-drenched Lucas, back from playing basketball. He hadn't looked up yet and therefore, hadn't seen the bonding sesh that was going on about five feet away from him. Karen and Serena were too hysterical to have noticed his entrance either.

"Mom, I'm-" Lucas stopped as he took one of his earphones out, hearing the hysteria flood into his ear. He took one look at them and finished off his sentence. "-just going out again." He forcefully pulled the door handle. Serena immediately came down from her high and sprung up off the stool, heading towards him. "Lucas…"

He quickly whipped around to face her. He was pissed off as it was and playing basketball always got blood pumping too. "What do you want from me, Serena? What, you thought you could get to me through my mom? I don't wanna see your face- especially not when I come home. Whatever this is, it's pathetic. It's not cute. I don't want you and I don't see why anyone else would…stay away from me." He bitterly shouted in her face before slamming the door shut and heading back out.

Serena stood there numbly, unable to even cry. Karen was stunned silent by Lucas' behaviour, so there was a slight delay before she got up to comfort Serena. She wrapped her arms around her and held her tight. "I'm so sorry, Serena. This is my fault. I'll talk to him"

She stood there in her arms for a while, fighting away the tears she felt filling up her eyes before she slowly broke away from the hug. "No, he's right. I shouldn't be here. I better go. Thank you for everything, Karen…" she turned around and went to leave as a single teardrop hit her skin like a bullet.

"Serena, you know I'm always here for you. Don't think that just because Lucas is feeling this way that you can't talk to me."

"I don't think that's such a good idea." Serena smiled sadly and headed out the door.


	27. For Better For Worse, I Got You

**Chapter 27**

Serena spent the following few days doing some soul-searching at home- only leaving the house to go to school. Serena wasn't taking any AP classes, but she was far from stupid. Every single student in Constance and St Jude's had the potential to go to an Ivy- whether that be through genuine merit, nepotism or money. Luckily for S, she fell under all these categories. She figured that she'd spend this down-time studying for extra credit and maybe try and actually think about what she wanted to do with her life, instead of just floating through it.

On Tuesday after school, Serena was in bed, engrossed in Tolstoy when she heard a knock on her bedroom door.

She looked up to find Nate standing in the doorway to her bedroom with his adorable smile and gorgeous hair, bearing a box of Godiva's and a bouquet of white Lilies. He didn't need to say anything- his cute grin was enough.

Serena hopped out of bed excitedly and threw herself into Nate's arms.

"Natie! You're back! And with my favourites." Serena grinned.

"Of course." He held her tight- sensing that she needed a good hug.

Okay, so we're giving him a little too much credit. He isn't telepathic; he'd heard what went down at Serena's party and he came over to check up on her.

"How are you? Sorry I missed your birthday. Here, I got you something else, too." He handed her a small, baby blue gift bag with 'Tiffany & Co.' on it. Serena's face lit up as she dived inside the bag, undid the ribbon on the blue box and took out the sparkling, diamond-encrusted cross pendant.

Erm, Nate, you clearly didn't see Serena's sex tape… the girl is hardly a bible basher.

"I just figured you could use a little faith right now. I heard what happened; I'm sorry… Plus, there's only one girl who could rock _that_ much ice." He chuckled lightly and watched her admire it.

Serena continued to gawk at the gift. "Nate, this is too much. I can't accept this."

"Please, I want you to. Now, are you going to talk to me about all this or what? You know I'm the best agony aunt on the UES."

Serena smiled at him. "Okay, Thank you so much. It's beautiful."

"No problem." He prompted her again by raising his eyebrows.

Serena put her present to one side and then looked down. "What do you want me to say? It was humiliating. It was heart-breaking."

Nate put his hand over hers. "You still have me. Remember when I said "always"? Well, I meant it."

Serena smiled softly and looked into his golden brown eyes. It was moments like these when she thought that maybe his whole 'stoner boy' thing was just an act. He was so amazing sometimes.

Serena examined his perfect face and slowly ran her thumb over the back of his hand. "You really are beautiful, Nate… I love you."

Nate mocked flattery and then carefully brushed a strand of hair from her face. "I love you too."


	28. The End?

The past few days, for Blair, were spent revelling in the fuckery that was Serena van der Woodsen's life. Now with Serena out the way, she was officially Queen B again, and it wasn't like she had to worry about Kati or Is trying to steal the crown. And as for Dan… well, that ship sailed as soon as Mr Neurotic figured out that he was just another pawn in the chess game that was Serena and Blair's friendship.

Aren't we all, Dan? Aren't we all?

So, let's get this straight… S slept with N while N was B's boyfriend because B wasn't giving it up for N, so S did. Then, S ran off to boarding school, where she slept with some more peoples boyfriends, did some drugs, got kicked out and came home to meet the love of her life, Daniel Humphrey. They had their five minutes before he dumped her ass and started banging B. S, naturally, found a new conquest- L. S found out D was banging B on her birthday when B shared a clip of S banging someone who wasn't D before doing a little sniff sniff. L didn't like all the banging and sniff sniff and so he told S what everyone else was thinking and bid adieu.

Poor S is all alone again…oh, wait, no she isn't- she still has N, her Prince Charming. B is Queen again, which leaves D and L back where they started- In Brooklyn, poor, alone and irrelevant... Bromance?... The end?

Yeah, don't count on it.


	29. Katherine Heigl

Serena and Nate hung out quite a bit over the next week- just the usual; movies, ice cream, coffees in Central Park… getting stoned in Central Park.

It was comfortable between them, because they were best friends before anything. Since before Serena could remember, (ignore the fact that sometimes, she can't remember the night before) it had always been Blair, Nate and Serena, BFFL.

Now, if you really think about it, B was _asking_ for it when she started dating Nate. They were all in love with each other, and they all knew it. Hell, Serena and Blair even had their moments when they'd experiment. It was only a matter of time. Anyway, ignore my twisted logic. The point I'm trying to make is: Serena and Nate are Serena and Nate. It's some shit you only see in a Katherine Heigl movie.

It was Thursday afternoon and Nate was on his way over to Chuck's suite at the Palace Hotel (his family owns the entire hotel, but that's beside the point- this poor kid only has one suite).

Nate walked in, looking all troubled, like he had a lot on his mind. Sorry, that's a lie, seeing as Nate's brain only allows for one thought at a time. But nonetheless, Nate's solitary thought was troubling him.

"Nathanial, my man!" Chuck walked into the lounge area from his games room to greet him. He had on a slick navy blue suit with a lilac shirt, purple tie and his silk, blue, navy, red and white 'CB' emblazoned signature scarf hanging over his lapels with a tumbler of scotch in his hand… in other words, he looked like a first class twat. This was Chuck's normal housewear. He was the richest kid on the UES, and he made sure everyone knew it. Chuck, like the rest of our trust fund brats, had daddy issues. His dad hated it when he wore purple…so he wore purple at every possible occasion, just to spite him.

Nate simply gave him a 'wassup?' nod and proceeded to make himself comfortable on the sofa. Chuck analysed him carefully as he sat down. "Talk to Chuck, buddy." He poured Nate some scotch and handed it to him.

Nate absently took the tumbler and rested it on his knee. "I've just been thinking a lot, you know?"

Chuck responded with an almost disgusted look. "Easy, Socrates. No, I don't know. What's there to think about?"

"Serena…"

Chuck muffled a laugh before clearing his throat and replying. "Serena? Nathanial, do you want to die of syphilis?" Nate gave him a serious look. "She's not like that. Plus, we're not sleeping together."

Chuck raised an eyebrow and had a perverted look on his face. "Dude, are we talking about the same Serena van der Woodsen? Coke and sex tapes? And seriously man, you're spending _that_ much time with her- I think you're more than entitled to tap that ass."

"Yeah, that was a really dick move by the way, Chuck. And who says 'tap that ass'?"

"Look, Nathanial, all I'm saying is that the only thing Serena's good for is a clean of the pipes. Don't waste your time, man." He nonchalantly finished off his scotch and set it down.

Nate was still sat, swirling his scotch on his knee. "I think I love her, man…"

Chuck rolled his eyes and laughed under his breath. "Dude, is this supposed to be new information? You've had a crush on Serena since like first grade."

"No, I mean I'm _in_ love with her…"

Chuck was silenced and both boys sat solemnly staring at each other after Nate's confession.


	30. Quiet Night In,,,

**A/N: this is my first attempt at smuttiness...lol, I wasn't really planning on making this fic M-rated, but I thought I'd have a go...I only really wrote it for Chiara... but it's for everyone to enjoy :P**

Lucas wasn't too fazed by his newfound loneliness since he shunned Serena. He was used to being by himself back home in Tree Hill anyway. He spent his free time down at the basketball court, writing, or just spending time with his mom. It's the way things had always been and it looked as though they were destined to continue this way.

Lucas was working on his first novel: 'An Unkindness of Ravens'; the 'Ravens' being his Tree Hill basketball team and schoolmates in general. He pondered the thought of adding Serena into it, but he decided that she wasn't worth mentioning. It would only tarnish his image to be associated with her.

While Serena seemed to be living it up with Nate, Lucas kept his head down. He saw them occasionally when he was playing basketball in the park, but tried his best to ignore it. It only made it easier to forget about her, knowing that she'd moved on so quickly.

Serena and Lucas were never together in any way romantically, but there was something there that made them both know, deep down, that their relationship was heading that way. They had a sort of unspoken faithfulness to each other…and actually, nobody broke it… Lucas just didn't like the person Serena _used_ to be…

Right, well, that seems fair enough, Lucas…

Anyway, so, while Lucas was busy not giving a fuck…Serena was busy giving too many fucks. She stayed in on Friday night and blew off Nate (get your mind out the gutter) for a quiet night in bed by herself- accompanied by a rom-com marathon, comfort food and a jumbo box of Cleanex.

Nate was acting weird and she decided that they should put some ice on it before he fell flat on her face in love with her again.

…too late…

She didn't really know what she wanted at this point. She loved Nate- she knew that, but she didn't know if her vulnerable emotional state was making her believe that the love she felt for him was romantic. She desperately needed to be wanted by someone- anyone. Nate was there, and she was worried that if she got involved with him, that she would be taking advantage.

Dan was always there in the back of her mind; he never left. It burned her to think about what he did to her, but she felt nothing but love for him, still. Forgetting Dan was made ten times harder when Lucas came into the picture (and then left). So, not only did Serena have to try and get over Dan… she had to try and forget about his doppelganger too.

Lucas was essentially just a blonde and more athletic version of Dan. They were both writers; they were both poor; they both lived in Brooklyn; they were both outsiders, and they both had that modest and understated beauty that Serena found so intriguing.

Serena's reflection on her uncharacteristically uncharmed predicament was interrupted by a knock on her door.

"Come in, Maria." Serena didn't bother looking up- that would require expending energy that she needed to be depressed.

She diverted her eyes from the TV screen when she felt Maria sit on her bed. She turned her head to face her when a familiar hand stroked her cheek…

Serena stared blankly into Dan's eyes. She parted her lips to say something before he hushed her with a slow, chaste kiss. "Shh, don't say anything…" he whispered lovingly into her lips before he kissed her softly again. "I missed you…" he finally uttered those three words that she'd been so desperately longing to hear over the past two months; the three words that melted her heart enough to burn any trace of hurt or pain he'd caused her. Everything before this point was forgiven; he was hers again.

A single teardrop rolled down Serena's cheek and Dan gently dabbed it away with his thumb. "I'm so sorry… about everything… I love you…" As soon as those words were spoken, the hole in her heart was filled and her world started spinning again; everything fell into place. She never thought she'd ever hear him say those words again and to be proved wrong felt better than she'd ever imagined.

She didn't feel it was necessary to reassure him that she felt the same way; passion took over and inhibition took a back seat. She moved the duvet off her legs as she knelt up on the bed- never taking her face away from his. They hadn't even gotten to kissing yet; the desire to simply be as close as possible was more powerful. Their foreheads and noses brushed against each other's as their fingers were tangled in each other's hair. Dan knelt up too, tenderly pulling her in by her waist with his free arm until their bodies pressed up against each other so closely that their hearts beat as one and their breaths synchronised to a slow, sweet song.

For the longest few seconds, they explored each other's skin- remembering the smells, shapes and textures. Dan placed careful kisses from Serena's lips, all the way down her neck, shoulders and arms, to her fingertips. He didn't want to miss anything; he'd already missed enough.

Serena closed her eyes and let her head hang back slightly; relaxing and enjoying the attention she so badly craved from him.

Dan meticulously worked his way back up to her lips, where they worked together to deepen the kisses while Dan helped Serena out of her bed shirt, tossing it to the side before gradually guiding her back down to the mattress- placing her on her back. He hovered over her, staring into her deep blue eyes while she gingerly traced the outline of the muscles in his arms and back.

Each kiss, more passionate than the last- their tongues were in intense battle, but there were no losers here. The slow pace they started with began to speed up as a sense of urgency took over their bodies. Serena impatiently pulled Dan's shirt off and began fiddling with his belt buckle, trying to get it undone while he continued to smother her neck in kisses from above her.

"Take them off." She pleaded with him while she raked her nails down his torso. Dan happily complied and he stripped down to his boxers, adding his pants and her bra to the growing pile of discarded clothes. His mouth took a detour from hers and travelled downwards until he reached her full and firm breasts. His lips and tongue teased her nipples and drove her crazy. She wouldn't concede control, so she pulled him down and rolled over so she was straddling him. Dan wasn't about to lay down and let her do all the work either, so he sat up, holding her tightly round her waist as he continued what he was doing.

She ran her fingers sensually up and down the nape of his neck, knowing all of his pressure points and exactly how to get him excited. 'Excited' was exactly what he was becoming… she felt his boxers tighten underneath her and she smirked- pleased that she could still make that happen so effortlessly. "Got you hard already?" she teased him with her trademark giggle as she began making subtle but effective hip movements, forwards and back, brushing up against it while they kissed. Dan couldn't help but smile and enjoy it. He cupped and caressed her breasts while he let her do her thing and have it her way. When he and Serena were together, it was always give and take, so he waited patiently, knowing he'd get his turn soon.

Serena decided it was enough of the teasing when she felt him squirming underneath her. She edged her way down his body, leaving a trail of kisses from his chest, down to the waistband of his boxers. She ran her hands over his crotch before slipping a hand under his waistband and stroking his boner while she leant forwards so she was over him, whispering sweet nothings into his ear. Dan was going crazy; if she didn't stop teasing him, he was going to blow right this second. She knew exactly what his moans meant; she freed him of his boxers and they shared a quick but potent glance- knowing what they were getting themselves into before Serena leant down and took him into her mouth. His grunt as her lips surrounded his cock let her know that nothing had changed; she was doing everything just right. Her head bobbed up and down on him as he played in her hair.

"Baby, go slower." He groaned as he contracted his muscles in an attempt to get back some control over the pace.

She kept her smouldering eyes on him as she slowed the pace. She finished up by running her tongue up and down the underside of his shaft while Dan's eyes begged for his turn to pleasure her.

Dan sat up and gingerly placed Serena on her back, lowering her to the bed with a hand supporting the middle of her back. He started at the bottom of her calves, pasting seductive kisses up her legs- paying extra attention to the sensitive areas of the backs of her knees and the insides of her thighs. Serena's breathing slowed but became deeper. She whined through a giggle, "Dan, stop teasing. You're killing me!"

"Now you know how I felt… Just relax and enjoy it, baby."

Serena did as told and Dan made his way up to her hips. He planted a few kissed above her pant-line before he slowly tugged off her lacy, pink underwear with his teeth. He slid a tentative hand in-between her thighs, realising that half of his job was already done. "Damn…"

Serena smirked. "Just, shh, you."

Dan slowly went down on her; he worked his tongue in and around her- gently sliding a finger in once he thought she was ready. Serena replied with a sudden gasp, making Dan freeze, worried that he might have hurt her. "Are you okay? Did I go too quickly?"

Serena smiled cutely. She found it adorable how he still had his nervous stutter, even after all this time. She reassured him it was okay to carry on. "No, I'm okay, baby… keep going."

He did just that and let his tongue loose over her clit, slipping another finger inside her, triggering louder and louder moans as he moved his fingers in and out of her, causing her to come so loudly, Dan had to check to make sure she was okay.

"I want you… now… I need you." Serena begged as they both stared longingly into each other's eyes, sharing one last kiss before Dan delicately entered her, holding her close, protecting her from the world. They both moved and moaned in unison- nothing else in the world mattered. It was just the two of them: Dan and Serena, Serena and Dan. The way it was; the way it was always supposed to be.

Dan's heart was beating out of his chest; nobody ever made him feel the way he did when he was with Serena. It was more than sex; it was love. There was no other word for it. He started to think about how stupid he was to have ever let her go, before all his thoughts were washed away with the wave of Serena coming again as she groaned lustfully into his ear.

"I love you…" she cooed.

He drove in and out of her, fast to slow, slow to hard, hard to soft, changing up the rhythms, but maintaining the passion. "I love you too" he panted while he rested his sweat-slicked forehead against hers. Their moist bodies were tangled together as Serena rolled him over, taking charge and riding him slowly. She circled her hips and then moved them back and forth on top of him. He ran his hands all over her body, admiring her sexy curves, before making his way back up to Serena's enticing breasts which were bouncing up and down with their movements. Dan held them still in his hands, squeezing them gently and brushing over her nipples with his fingers.

His hands ventured down her body, caressing her curves before holding onto her ass, controlling the speed. He pulled her body down towards him until the moisture of their bodies glued them together. Dan pumped in and out of her, gradually increasing the intensity as he felt himself going over the edge. They both whined and groaned in harmony, increasing in volume with each penetration.

"Oh!"

"Oh, Serena!"

They were both in euphoria and Serena could feel Dan throbbing inside of her; she knew it was only a matter of time. She lay back and let him reach his climax, fiddling with his hair and running her hands all over his body, bucking her hips, pushing him deeper inside of her, trying to help him get there.

"Oh, Serena!

Serena!...

Serena!..."

….

"Miss Serena!"… Maria ran into the room after hearing worrying cries from Serena's room.

Serena was startled awake by Maria's panic.

'_**I was thinking about him,**_

_**Thinking 'bout me,**_

_**Thinkin 'bout us,**_

_**What we gon' be?**_

_**Opened my eyes, (Yeah)**_

_**It was only just a dream...'**_


	31. Daddy's Girl

After convincing Maria that the screams were just her reactions to the movie, (scary rom-com, Serena?) Serena sat up in her bed, stunned silent; did that really just happen?

Serena van der Woodsen: responsible for and capable of the best wet dreams on the UES.

As if her boy troubles weren't enough, she had to contend with the fact that she was having graphic dreams about her ex. Not just physically graphic, but emotionally graphic too.

She absently waited for the movie to finish before heading out to clear her head. She needed some fresh air- she didn't really want to be going into any more deep sleeps just yet, even if it was the most action she'd gotten in a while…

She threw on some casual-wear and headed out for a walk in the park. She usually found it was a helpful way of clearing her mind and getting some perspective.

After a little while, deep in thought, it started to get dark. Serena was happy with the progress she'd made with her situation; she was becoming more at peace with the fact that Dan was just an ex, Lucas was just a guy she barely knew, and Nate was just one of her best friends and should be nothing more.

She got up and decided to take the long walk round before exiting the park, just to make the most of it. She wasn't paying much attention until she passed the children's playground and heard a raucous a little way off in the distance. She could just about make out several male figures on the basketball court and as she walked closer and squinted, she recognised a familiar grey hoody being beaten down to the floor and instinct took over; her walk turned into a run and she rushed over to the court, shouting at them in desperation to leave him alone, "get off him! Lucas! Leave him alone!"

The guys stopped and stared at her in confusion more than anything. Did she really think she could take them on? Lucas lifted his beaten head to see what had interrupted the assault and he shook his head when he saw Serena.

"Please just leave him alone. He hasn't done anything to you."

"This is our court. Your boyfriend seems to be lost, and apparently, you are too."

They both snapped back in unison, "I'm not her boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend."

The gang of guys looked between the two like they were in an episode of Jerry Springer. There was some weird shit going on here.

"Just leave him alone. You made your point." Serena fearlessly stepped closer, standing in between the guys and Lucas who was only just starting to get up off the floor.

"What's in it for us?" the front-man stood his ground and challenged Serena.

"It's just a basketball court. Just move on. I don't have anything on me."

The guy moved closer to Serena, squaring up to her, looking her up and down…

"That's a nice necklace you've got there…"

Serena's eyes dropped, wishing she hadn't bothered stepping in for Lucas at this point, seeing as he was just hanging back, not giving a shit. "Please… I'll go and get you money… anything you want. Just don't-"

Before she could finish, the guy took hold of the solid gold angel pendant that was hanging from her neck, and he roughly yanked it off before sprinting away with his gang, all congratulating him on his latest acquisition.

Serena rubbed her neck and turned around to face Lucas, swallowing hard to control her emotions. "Thanks for having my back." She said dryly.

"I didn't ask you to step in. Did you just expect me to bow down to your feet because you helped me out? Because, just in case that was your plan, I won't. I had it covered."

"Yeah, I saw how well you handled the situation. You seemed really on top of things."

"Well, I would have been fine, but you had to come in and play the hero didn't you?"

"I get that you hate me, Luke, I really do- you've made that clear, but was it really too much for you to just stand up for me and stop them? You couldn't man up for _one _minute? You just stood there and watched as he took my necklace."

Lucas laughed to himself. "Are you joking? Look at my face, ad you're worried about your necklace? That's just typical."

"My dad bought that necklace for me…"

"Well, I'm sure your daddy can go buy you another one. That was your own fault." Lucas picked up his ball and moved past her.

"My dad left when I was four…" Serena's lip started to quiver, but she bit it to compose herself.

Lucas stopped still for a second, humbled and feeling pretty bad for how harsh he was being. Nonetheless, he managed a snide remark, "Well, that's four more years than I had." And he jogged off, dribbling his ball home.

Serena stood there, motionless for a good few seconds. She was getting pretty used to this hurt and abandonment, so she decided to spare herself the waterworks and just head home.

Lucas wasn't her main thought right now; it was her dad. Dr. William van der Woodsen had left Lily and the kids fourteen years ago, when he and Lily divorced. Serena had never been given an explanation, no matter how much she asked about it. She was always a daddy's girl and a lot of Serena's acting out over the past few years had stemmed from her desire to get attention from her father. With the absence of a strong, male role model and the absence of a compassionate mother, Serena really had no one to look up to or learn from, so she made her own mistakes and learnt the hard way.

Recently, she'd tried to reach out to her father; she'd emailed him, wrote letters, called him- all with no replies. She even flew out to Santorini, to where she believed he lived, from the information she acquired from Chuck's PI. An unfamiliar woman answered the door and said she didn't know a Dr. van der Woodsen.

Serena gave up her search and just accepted the fact that her father didn't want to be found. She may have accepted it, but she certainly hadn't gotten over it. She really needed him right now.

Well, on the bright side, at least her walk was successful. She _did_ want to get Dan off her mind so she could get some sleep without waking up the whole house, after all…


	32. Brooklyn Boy 2,0

**A/N: **** Hiiii. Haven't updated in ages as I've been busy with my PB fic, so I haven't had time to write this one- I know there's only a few of you who read this, but I do actually enjoy writing it, so let me know if you still want me to continue or which direction you want me to go in as I'm deliberately leaving it very open. Just a quick chapter- enjoy :) **

"Lucas?! What happened to your face?!" Karen rushed over to her son as soon as he came through the front door. His lip and skin under his eyebrow were split open; his cheeks and jaw were grazed, and spots of blood covered his sweatshirt. He brushed past his mom- not in the mood for conversation.

"Just the usual court fight, mom. It's nothin'."

"This is not nothing, Lucas. Look at me!" She grabbed him with both hands and held him at arms-length to take a better look at him. Lucas just stared blankly back at her- waiting for her to be done. She sighed deeply and shook her head. "We're going to the hospital."

"No, mom! Forget it."

"Luke, you need stitches. This isn't up for discussion."

He knew there was no getting around his mom, so he gave up fighting it. Plus, he figured he probably should get stitches in case the cuts got infected. He reluctantly let his mom drag him out the apartment and to the hospital where he was seen soon after arrival.

The doctor introduced himself and took them into a curtained-off room getting Lucas to sit on the bed. "So, what happened to your face, young man?"

"Just got beat up," he said bluntly, knowing it was blatantly obvious.

"Get into a fight?" the doctor asked as he dabbed at the cut above his eye, cleaning it up.

"Something like that," Luke mumbled.

"You wanna report it? Seems like a pretty serious fight."

Karen immediately jumped in. "Yes, we will. Who were they, Luke?"

"No."

"Ah, I see… You start it?" the doctor chuckled.

"No. Don't be so ridiculous. He doesn't get into fights," Karen defended her son. "If you don't report it, I will."

"You can't, because I started it!" he snapped, and the doctor just looked between the two of them uncomfortably. The tension was palpable, and Lucas knew he was going to get it when he got home. He didn't start the fight at all, but he just wanted his mom to drop it. Things were bad enough around here; he didn't need to add 'grass' to the list of reasons for these Upper East Siders to hate him.

Karen was fuming. She thought it best to leave the room before she caused a scene in front of the doctor; she'd deal with him later. After about another half-hour, Lucas was stitched up and ready to go and he prepared for the wrath of his mother.

Sure enough, Karen gave him an earful when they got home after the painfully silent car journey. It was the same old 'I'm disappointed in you, Lucas Eugene Scott; you're grounded for a week.'

It didn't bother him; it wasn't like his planner was full of things to do that week. He still kept himself to himself. He went to school, came back, did his homework and did some writing and then played some basketball. So, 'grounding' wasn't so effective in his new hometown.

* * *

Serena came home that night with tired eyes and a mind busier than when she left the house. She battled with thoughts of her father, Dan, Lucas, Blair and everyone else who'd abandoned her. Resting in bed, rubbing at the now empty space on her chest where her pendant used to lie, she shut her eyes momentarily when she heard an unexpected knock at the door.

"Serena?" a familiar voice whispered as he poked his head around her door.

"Come in," she smiled a little, happy to see him.

Her brother shuffled in and climbed onto the bed with her, pulling her into a hug. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" she smiled sweetly at him.

"I've been so distant and I should have been here for you."

"Hey. Eric, it's okay. You're sixteen. You should be out having fun. I'll be alright."

"You don't look alright," he looked down sadly, feeling guilty.

"I'm not gonna lie, I've been better," she shrugged, "but enough about that!" she playfully slapped his knee. "I wanna hear about this new boyfriend of yours," a cheeky grin crept onto her face. "Jonathan, is it?"

Eric laughed a little. "So you heard about that, huh?"

"Well duh. It's all over Gossip Girl. He's a hot piece of ass, E. Good work," she held her hand up for a high five, and he slapped it.

"Thank you, thank you. I _am _a van der Woodsen after all. I have a reputation to uphold."

"Yeah, and you have to pick up my slack for a while, too. Will probably have to move states to find someone who'll give me the time of day now."

"Come on," Eric frowned. "You're still Serena van der Woodsen. Queen S. Just give it a while. You just have to remind everyone."

"Maybe I just wanna live a quiet life; away from Gossip Girl and all of that pettiness."

"Quiet or lonely? This is the world we're in, Serena. This is the Upper East Side, not Brooklyn. Sooner or later, you'll come to claim your kingdom again. It's inevitable; it's in our blood."

Serena smiled fondly at her little brother. "Oh, God, they've brainwashed you, too," she ruffled his hair. "Eric, your roots are coming through. Not a good look," she made a disgusted face.

"I think we're both in need of makeovers. Spa, shopping and hair day tomorrow?"

"Sounds fabulously camp- I'm in!" she clapped excitedly. "And you have to tell me more about Jonathan."

"Deal. Goodnight," he smiled as he headed out of her room.

"E?"

"Yeah?"

"Love you, little bro."

"I love you, too."

* * *

It was just over a week later, and Lucas had done his time and was now 'free'. He sat alone in a corner of the quad at school, writing in his small, leather-bound notepad, jotting down lines for poems. He saw using his classmates as subjects somewhat therapeutic. They were all so contrived and conceited; he couldn't stand being around them, but being able to put his feelings about them onto paper for only his eyes to see did help get him through it.

Just as he looked up again for inspiration, he saw an uncharacteristically timid Serena try to navigate her way through the crowds to the other side of the quad. But unlike usual, nobody made way for her; they didn't so much as look twice, but she was okay with that. For the first time in a long time, Serena was at peace with herself and her situation. She never _really _craved the attention. Not like Blair did, anyway, but it was always a safety net. She knew when all else failed, she was still Queen S- but not anymore.

Her hair was up in an unassuming bun; her skirt was worn at its intended length, as oppose to hiked up like most of the girls surrounding her; she had on minimal makeup, but still looked undeniably beautiful, and she wore a subtle smile to top it off, even though she didn't have much to smile about.

Lucas, unlike everyone else, _did _look twice. She looked beautiful, yes, but she'd lost her glow- her spark, and he felt partially responsible for that. He felt the urge to approach her, but he didn't have the nerve; he had no right, so he sat back and watched her go, scribbling out a line he'd just written and starting another one… with a different subject.

* * *

A few days later, Nate was round Serena's place after school. It was pretty innocent, although Nate would be lying if he said he wished it wasn't, and deep down, Serena knew that there was more to their relationship, and there always would be; you never forget your first.

They were baking cakes in the kitchen- both covered in flour and chocolate sauce. Truthfully, you couldn't really call it baking; they were basically just trashing the kitchen with complimentary ingredients. Serena was more of a 'taste while you make' kinda girl anyway, so half of it was gone already. An amused Nate didn't do much but watch her make a mess.

That's what maids are for anyway, right?

"Miss Serena?" Maria called from the foyer.

"Yes?"

"You have visitor."

_**Visitor? That's funny. **_The only visitors Serena had gotten in the past few weeks were Nate and the pizza delivery man.

"Excuse me for a sec', Nate," she wiped her floury hands on her jeans and made her way to the elevator to see who it was. She stopped still when she saw the elevator door open to Lucas. He was standing there dressed in a casual white t-shirt, jeans and Jordan sneakers and his subtle blue eyes were humble and apologetic.

"What are you doing here?" she said harshly but justifiably.

"I came to apologise," he said with his head down. He couldn't even look her in the eye, he was so ashamed of himself. If he were in her position, he wouldn't give himself the time of day.

"Bit late for that, isn't it, Luke?"

"I know," he nodded slightly. He bit his lip nervously; not knowing what to say- it all seemed inadequate. As he looked up, ready to start, he caught the gaze of Nate who'd just stepped out of the kitchen to see who it was. Nate gave him an almost-territorial icy glare, but hung back, just outside the kitchen, giving them space.

"Well?" Serena hurried him.

"Can we talk in private?"

"We are in private…" she said uncooperatively.

Lucas gestured his eyes towards Nate who was still watching.

"Give me one reason why I should," she folded her arms.

Lucas said nothing. Instead, he pulled a familiar gold chain and pendant from his pocket and held it out in front of her. Serena's mouth dropped open slightly, in shock. She'd never expected to see that again, and even if it was Lucas' fault that it was taken in the first place, she figured it was fair enough to at least hear him out for managing to get it back.

"I'm sorry, Nate. I won't be long," she said without hesitation as she grabbed her coat and got into the elevator with Lucas.

Nate's eyes dropped to the floor sadly as the door closed. There was never a right time with them. Something would always get in the way. This time it just happened to come in the form of charming Brooklyn boy 2.0. He'd already lost her to Dan- he wasn't about to lose her to Lucas, too.


	33. Change The Play

They made their way downstairs, to the lobby, finding a quiet corner before Serena asked the obvious question: "How did you get the necklace back...?"

"I waited for them at the court the day after. Threatened to take it to the police if they didn't hand it back over," he said as he gave it back to her.

"Thanks." She didn't know what else to say. She wasn't sure she even owed him that much.

Lucas faltered. He expected her to be a little cold, but he was also hoping she'd give him something to work with. He didn't have a monologue ready and even though he was supposed to be a wordsmith, there was nothing coming out.

"...Luke, I haven't got all day."

"Sorry... I just don't know where to start... I fucked up."

Serena quirked her eyebrows up in a 'you don't say' kind of way.

"I've been a jerk these past few weeks, and I'm sorry. I know it's not enough and it won't erase how badly I've treated you, but it's a start. I was so caught up in judging everyone else that I forgot to take a look at myself. I got so consumed with hating this world, that it became all I could think about. And sure enough, I turned into that guy I swore I'd never be. I know you hate me right now, and I don't blame you, but I'm sorry, and I would take it all back if I could."

"I don't hate you," she sighed. "I'm just done."

Lucas' head dropped. He wasn't really sure what he was expecting her to say, but it wasn't that... He wanted her to be angry. Something. Anything. But not 'done'.

"Look, I have to go."

"Serena..."

"Lucas, I forgive you. I just can't do this."

All he could manage in return was a defeated nod as she went to turn away.

"Take care, Luke."

"Bye, Serena..." he mumbled as he watched the most enchanting girl he'd ever met, walk out of his life.

* * *

A few weeks passed and it was as if nothing had ever happened. Unfortunately for Lucas, not in a good way. It was _literally _as if _nothing _had ever happened. None of it. Not the friendship. Not the fallout. She walked past him at school and gave him a friendly smile, as if she didn't even know him.

Lucas hated it. He wanted her to hate him. That way, at least he would know she still cared, and he was still on her mind. But there was nothing. Everytime he walked by, he wondered if there were any underlying feelings behind that plain smile. It drove him crazy trying to analyse her behaviour in the desperate hope that there might still be something there worth saving. He'd written pages and pages of poems about her, and himself, in his journal. Nothing helped. He knew he'd have to approach her again at some point, otherwise nothing would change.

* * *

The next day, after school, Lucas 'accidentally' bumped into Serena just outside the gates.

"Oh, sorry..."

Serena just smiled and began to walk off. "It's okay."

"Wait! Serena..." Lucas grabbed hold of her arm before she could get too far away.

"What do you want from me, Luke?" she looked exasperated.

"I want you to just hear me out and give me another shot. Please," he looked into her eyes, trying to find something there.

"Okay. Then answer me this question, Lucas: if you're in a basketball game and you keep making the same play, but every single time, the ball gets stolen from you, what would you do?"

"I'd hold on tighter," he lied.

"You'd change the play..." she said before she walked away, leaving him standing there alone, wondering if there was another answer which would have given him a different response.

* * *

"Natie!" Serena threw herself into the arms of her old friend, in the middle of Nate held on tight and swung her around before finally putting her down.

"How are you?"

"Good, actually. I'm really good," she beamed.

"That's really good to hear, Serena. You really seem like yourself again. I missed you."

"I just had to get closure on some things that were holding me back. It feels like a huge weight has been lifted off. I missed being this carefree. Life is good, Natie. What about you? How's Captain Controlling? Still wants you to go to Yale?"

Nate's dad, 'Captain Archibald' was a pretty intense guy. He'd decided Nate was going to Yale for college before Nate was even born. It was the same for all of kids on the Upper East Side; Serena, Blair, Chuck, Kati, Is. Sure, most of them had _some _choice of which college they went to... As long as it was either Harvard, Yale or Princeton. Anything less than Ivy League was quite frankly embarrassing for an Upper East Side parent. They'd buy their kids in if they had to...and often, they did.

"Yeah," Nate sighed as they sat down on a bench. "But I'd never get in on my own merit. I'm not even taking any AP classes. Plus, Columbia is just a better fit for me. But try telling my dad that."

"I'm sure he'll get over it; Columbia is still Ivy League! How are you otherwise?"

"Can't complain, so I won't," Nate smiled his trademark Golden Boy smile.

"Well I suppose life can't be too tough when you're baked eighty percent of the time," Serena teased.

"Hey, you know I'm way cuter when I'm stoned."

"Oh is that your tactic?"

"Of course. Don't you remember the night of the Shepherd wedding?"

"_How _could I forget?...You _did _look cute. But I was also, _very _drunk."

"So you're saying the only reason it happened was because you were drunk?" Nate tried to maintain the joviality in his face, but her reply really did matter to him.

"That's not what I said, Nate," Serena frowned.

"Did you ever feel anything for me, Serena?"

"Come on, Nate. You know I love you. What's this all about?"

Nate dropped his head. "Don't say it like that. "

"Like what?"

"Like I'm your gay best friend."

"Nate, I _loved _you. You have no idea how hard it was for me to just stand by and be best friends with you and Blair when you two were together. I dreamt about being with you before you and Blair even got together. Blair and I used to stay up together and imagine what it would be like to be with you," Serena laughed, remembering how different things used to be when they were younger.

"You never told me..."

"How could I? Blair liked you. I had to look elsewhere seeing as you were off limits."

"Yeah, you did just that," Nate teased, earning him a dead arm.

"Hey. I had to get over my heartache and distract myself!"

Before she could protest, Nate leaned in and found her lips with his. Serena didn't resist. She just rested her forehead against his, reminding herself what it felt like. It had been so long.

And just like that, Golden Boy was finally reunited with Queen S.

* * *

Luke was taking a detour through the park on his way back from school, and he was _just _in time for the display of PDA taking place on the park bench, just ahead of him.

He stopped still when he saw Serena...and Nate.

_**Typical. Golden boy. **_Lucas thought to himself. Just the kind of guy the 'Serena van Der Woodsen's of the world were supposed to date. Guys like Lucas didn't have a chance.

Well, not strictly true. There's always the Dan Humphrey underdog story.

Hang on... Is that _jealousy,_ Luke?

Up until that moment, Lucas just wanted Serena back as a friend... But now he wanted something different. Something more.


End file.
